It might not be the perfect house—“windows drafty, shutters peeling. / There’s a crack across the ceiling. / Paint’s a little chipped and faded. / Might say it’s dilapidated”—but the family of nine living here couldn’t be happier—until a doorknob falls off. Finding a screw to replace this fixture fails, so the group (plus their big shaggy dog) sets off for the hardware store. A series of setbacks leads to shopping for a new doorknob, then a door and finally the decision to remodel the entire house. Before the complete home makeover is underway, however, Little Lizzie intervenes with her pacifier. Each line adds a layer of rich storytelling. Several passages describe the objects of the shed, hardware store and Dorothy’s Door Emporium (doors ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime). Chesworth’s vibrant and detailed illustrations, including a double-page cross-section of the house, invite lingering and revisiting. This ramshackle mess of an abode has real character and happily contains its frolicking family. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4027-4461-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A joyful celebration of Cuban tradition and family ties.
A young Cuban American child visits Abuelo in Cuba and helps him sell fruit in the street.
As Abuelo pushes a cart laden with fruit, they sing out the names of the fruit in the cart: “mango, limón, coco, melón, / naranja, toronja, plátano, piña.” Their happy voices reach far, inviting people to come and purchase. Other street vendors join in, singing out their own wares. The louder they call out, the louder Abuelo must sing. Palacios’ vibrant illustrations beautifully capture the joy and liveliness of the event. The child tells readers, “my favorite visits…are on the eve of el año nuevo” when people buy 12 grapes and make a wish, one for each month of the new year. This child’s wish, reflecting the author’s own leitmotif, is for friendship between the two countries and a time when families on both sides of the narrow strip of ocean that separates them can freely visit. In the author’s note, Engle gives some details on the travel restrictions that keep families apart as well as explaining her choice to use Spanglish in the text. Readers also learn a little more about Cuban street vendors—pregoneros—and the tradition of having grapes on New Year’s Eve. The main character has exuberant wavy black hair and brown skin like Abuelo’s; other characters reflect Cuba’s racial diversity. The story publishes simultaneously in Spanish, with a translation by Alexis Romay. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A joyful celebration of Cuban tradition and family ties. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4489-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
A shining affirmation of Chinese American identity.
An immigrant couple’s empowering love letter to their child.
Baby Mei rests in her parents’ embrace, flanked by Chinese architecture on one side and the New York skyline on the other. She will be a bridge across the “oceans and worlds and cultures” that separate her parents from their homeland, China. Mei—a Chinese word which means beautiful—shares a name with her family’s new home: Měi Guó (America). Her parents acknowledge the hypocrisy of xenophobia: “It’s a strange world we live in—people will call you different with one breath and then say that we all look the same with the next angry breath.” Mei will have the responsibility of being “teacher and translator” to her parents. They might not be able to completely shield her from racism, othering, and the pressures of assimilation, but they can reassure and empower her—and they do. Mei and young readers are encouraged to rely on the “golden flame” of strength, power, and hope they carry within them. The second-person narration adds intimacy to the lyrical text. Diao’s lovely digital artwork works in tandem with Chen’s rich textual imagery to celebrate Chinese culture, family history, and language. The illustrations incorporate touchstones of Chinese mythology and art—a majestic dragon, a phoenix, and lotus flowers—as well as family photographs. One double-page spread depicts a lineup of notable Chinese Americans. In the backmatter, Chen and Diao relay their own family stories of immigration. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A shining affirmation of Chinese American identity. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-84205-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
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