A companionable and whimsical reminder of the importance of embracing one’s distinctiveness.
Beneath an old mango tree, a young child finds that the view is best when shared with friends.
Fay’s children’s book, beautifully illustrated by Corbett, pairs gentle rhymes with vibrant images to celebrate the unique qualities of every child and spark a love of nature in young readers. A young girl named Kairi, portrayed with brown skin and long brown hair, slips out her bedroom window to commune with nature. Along the way, she tells a tree, a hummingbird, and a rainbow how her long legs (“I can run, jump, skip, and hop, / With these...I’ll never stop!”), strong arms (“I’m a climber in my land of dreams”), and vivid imagination (which she says “makes me free”) shape who she is. Through a lens of wonder, the story weaves in ideas of self-acceptance, friendship, and joy. Fay’s text is rich with sensory details—including the warmth of the sun, the rustling of leaves, and the flutter of a hummingbird (“With wings like a shimmer, and heart full of grace / She played with the wind in their quiet space”)—which makes each page come alive. Young readers will remain engaged with Corbett’s illustrations, which complement the playful story with warm colors. With its poetic structure, it’s an ideal read-aloud for home or school. The gentle repetition of the phrase “This is me” invites children to join in, build confidence, and learn to appreciate their individuality. The imagery and color scheme show Caribbean and Latin American influences throughout. Overall, the book will encourage children to take pride in who they are and develop a greater appreciation for the great outdoors.
A companionable and whimsical reminder of the importance of embracing one’s distinctiveness.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...
Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.
This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6649-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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