AT THE COOKOUT

A youngster reconnects with a favorite cousin at a get-together.

It’s summer break, and for Cici, that means making time for family cookouts at Grandma’s house. Cici has a bunch of cousins to play with—and we see them taking part in balloon water fights in the backyard, jumping double Dutch, and playing horseshoes—but there’s one cousin in particular whom the child is searching for, and he’s looking for Cici. At Cici’s lowest point (“Still no sign of Chase”), the little one is compelled to check under a table, where Chase has been hiding with a handful of Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies. Their reunion means the party can finally start in earnest as they join everyone else in cutting up the dance floor until the food is ready to be eaten. Plates full of chicken, burgers, mac and cheese, greens, and more feed the whole family, but Cici and Chase are nourished by each other and the love they share. The joy is palpable in Fisher’s bright, warm artwork and her jaunty, dialogue-heavy text as this loving Black family gathers, bonding over food and music, greeting each other with laughter, hugs, and elaborate handshakes. The author/illustrator employs a variety of panel sizes and vibrant pastel backgrounds, making for an accessible picture book filled with smiling brown faces, as dynamic as the event itself.

Warm and inviting.