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GRANDFATHER'S TURTLE

Name: GRANDFATHER'S TURTLE
Author: M.E. HUBBS
ISBN: 978-1-949711-37-0

by M.E. HUBBS ; illustrated by Lydia and Isaia of Worlds Beyond Art ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A warmhearted story that helps kids appreciate cultural complexities and values.

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Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

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Visiting relatives in the Marshall Islands, an American boy must decide whether to save an endangered animal.

David is excited about visiting his mother’s family in the Marshall Islands, a freely associated state of the United States, for his great-grandfather’s birthday. He can’t wait to meet his cousin Betra and hopes to glimpse a sea turtle. Much surprises David about the islands; there are no jungles, for example, and no hula dancers. The islanders’ clothes are simple, sometimes ragged; Betra’s family lives in a tiny house with walls of woven palm mats. David’s relatives teach him new skills, like fishing and climbing a palm tree for coconuts. He helps catch a sea turtle but is horrified to learn it’s intended for Grandfather’s birthday feast, protesting, “These animals are endangered. If we kill them to eat, they will all be gone soon!” The night before the feast, David has a difficult choice to make: make his family angry or free the turtle. In his debut children’s book, Hubbs provides a well-balanced story that considers cultural differences and similarities. David realizes that “the poorest people that he knew in America were rich compared to his cousins,” but he also appreciates their wealth of knowledge about island life. Wisely, Hubbs doesn’t present the Marshall Islanders as a monolith; David’s cousin and uncle see turtle meat as “a very important part of our culture” and “a great way to honor Grandfather”—but in Grandfather’s own view, “Times have changed and we must change also.” The lively illustrations by Lydia and Isaia of Worlds Beyond Art, who previously contributed to the Hawaii-set Puanani and the Volcano (2020), show medium- to dark-brown–skinned characters and capture the turtle’s beauty well.

A warmhearted story that helps kids appreciate cultural complexities and values. (reading comprehension questions, glossary)

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 978-1-949711-37-0

Page Count: 56

Publisher: Bluewater Publications

Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2020

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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LITTLE DAYMOND LEARNS TO EARN

by Daymond John ; illustrated by Nicole Miles ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2023

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.

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How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!

John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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GROWING HOME

by Beth Ferry ; illustrated by Eric Fan & Terry Fan ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2025

Charming.

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An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.

Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.

Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)