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A HOUSE FOR EVERY BIRD

Name: A HOUSE FOR EVERY BIRD
Author: Megan Maynor
ISBN: 978-1-984896-48-3

by Megan Maynor ; illustrated by Kaylani Juanita ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 16, 2021

A fresh and funny take on an old moral.

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A young artist learns that our inner worlds are more than what meets the eye.

An unnamed child is on a seemingly simple mission: to draw a bunch of birds and sketch a house for each of them. At first, the brown-skinned protagonist’s creative process is fairly straightforward, matching each avian to a home that shares their physical characteristics. “Red for red,” the narrator explains, and “tall for tall.” Readers receive a bird’s-eye view of the drawings, rendered in perfect, youthful splendor by Juanita. Despite the child’s best efforts, the birds don’t seem to agree with their housing assignments. Blue Bird and Orange Bird want to swap spots while Large Bird prefers a tiny abode. Ducks may typically be found in ponds, but the young artist’s duck “[doesn’t] swim, man.” As the discerning birds and their maker argue, the frustrated child soon realizes that the birds’ unexpected preferences are not the issue—the artist’s own assumptions are. Instead of guessing based on presuppositions, the protagonist learns that simply asking is the best way to know what someone likes. Interactions among the child and their artistic subjects are depicted in Juanita’s expressive signature style; her use of texture, color, and detail is the book’s highlight. They expand on Maynor’s thoughtful—if rather clunky—narrative, together comically teaching youth to let others define themselves and avoid the pitfalls of inadvertent stereotyping. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 14.1% of actual size.)

A fresh and funny take on an old moral. (Picture book. 5-10)

Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-984896-48-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
IT'S TACO KNIGHT!
by Megan Maynor ; illustrated by Estrela Lourenço

- BOOK REVIEW
NOT ENOUGH LOLLIPOPS
by Megan Maynor ; illustrated by Micah Player

- BOOK REVIEW
HENRY AT HOME
by Megan Maynor ; illustrated by Alea Marley

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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)