VENUS WASHINGTON AND THE BIRTHDAY BLOWOUT

Venus Washington returns for another round of literal-minded misadventures.

The Washingtons are getting ready for Venus’ younger brother Zion’s 1st birthday. Venus throws herself into preparations, extending the guest list to her classmates and seeking strategic opportunity to expand her own toy collection (she instructs invitees to each bring a Barbie doll). As in previous entries, the narrative’s driving force is Venus’ tendency to interpret figures of speech at face value. When her father remarks that hiring a clown would cost “an arm and a leg,” Venus grapples with the alarming implications of bodily sacrifice. Her grandmother’s insistence on baking a cake “from scratch” to avoid store-bought desserts filled with “junk” and “trash” sparks further comic confusion. Venus’ meticulous planning even includes a “VIP” area—reserved not for people, but for “very important presents,” a detail that neatly captures her earnest materialism and imaginative sense of logic. Lively and packed with wordplay, the prose will especially appeal to early readers who are beginning to explore idioms and abstract language. Episodic in nature, this peppy, character-driven comedy validates children’s perspectives without condescension. Venus and her family present Black. Final art not seen.

Breezy and light, featuring playful explorations of language.