Just as he did with the wonderful Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (1995), Moss makes child’s play out of sophisticated verse that will keep young ears rapt. Here, it’s a marching band that slowly gets assembled, as he identifies each aspiring musician and accompanying instrument: “One house away, Shavaun O’Shea, / In mapping out her life, / Had planned to blow a piccolo / (Which some folks call a fife).” As Ralph and Harry and Maureen get familiar with their trombones and sousaphones and glockenspiels, the neighborhood gets a taste of cacophony: “ ‘That sound annoys! It near destroys! / They bellow and complain. / ‘Confound that noise! / Those girls and boys are driving us insane.’ ” But the learning curve is not too cruel and soon the band is good enough to impress the mayor, who invites them to the July 4th parade, where they do the town proud. “You sound so good. / When starting out, we had no doubt, / We always knew you would.” Moss conveys not just the joy of music making, but, more subtly, the need to practice hard to get it right. Bluthenthal’s (Bertie’s Picture Day, not reviewed, etc.) cartoon art matches the verve of Moss’s words, and provides for as much cultural variety in the players as there are instruments. Goggle-eyed kids, in various shapes and sizes, strut their stuff across pages of all-American landscape to the delight of their equally goofy parents. And just so you notice, the mayor is an African-American woman. Hip hip hooray! (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: July 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-399-23335-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Like a steezy gem.
Following a brutal tumble, a rad little skater rediscovers the courage to pick up the board again with the help of her friends.
Cielo loves to skate all over town, devoting her time to zipping around with “a steezy push and a good pop.” Conquering sidewalks via ollies and breezing down streets in fast downhill rides, the fearless brown-skinned girl zips across town, her own playground. When a new skate park with deep pools opens, Cielo finds a new obstacle to overcome: The Whale, aka the biggest, highest pool at the park. The fateful day arrives, and Cielo hangs over the rim, ready to skate down The Whale. Bam! Instead, she stumbles, falling flat. Shaken and frustrated, Cielo gives up the board altogether. Until one day, a couple of fellow skaters call to her from the skate park. Encouraged by her newfound friends, Mia and Miro (both of whom have lighter skin), Cielo reattempts The Whale. Will Cielo fly again? An overall charmer, Katstaller’s ode to the etherealness and camaraderie of skateboarding pops and snaps from page to page. Colorful, sparse art with bold colors and unusual angles commits to an exceptional depiction of Cielo’s flights and tumbles. Above all, the emphasis on community offers a rousing image of skateboarding, accentuated by an author’s note and a glossary that clarifies terms and lingo for newcomers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Like a steezy gem. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-75111-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
