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ROCKET SAYS SPEAK UP!

Name: ROCKET SAYS SPEAK UP!
Author: Nathan Bryon
ISBN: 9780593431269

From the Rocket Says... series

by Nathan Bryon ; illustrated by Dapo Adeola ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 18, 2023

An upbeat story that empowers young readers to fight for libraries.

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After previous outings that saw Rocket learning about space and addressing ocean pollution, our hero speaks up for libraries.

Rocket and her family are saddened to learn that their local library will be closing. But Rocket, who recently read a book about Rosa Parks, is inspired to stage a peaceful protest. The whole community shows up wearing astronaut suits—a nod to Rocket Says Look Up! (2019). Though the protest gets press coverage, the library will still close. But just as Rocket starts to lose hope, letters from supporters start pouring in. The town’s mayor even pays her a visit and invites Rocket’s family to a celebration, where she informs everyone that not only is the library not closing, but that many people, inspired by the protest, sent money—enough to refurbish the building and buy new books. Rocket is an admirable protagonist whose can-do attitude will spur readers to action and whose passion for libraries is infectious as she spouts off facts: “DID YOU KNOW…there are libraries in Portugal with families of bats that eat book-damaging bugs?” Given the issues facing libraries today—from budget issues to censorship—a story that champions them is timely and important. Adeola’s cheery illustrations match the energetic text beat for beat. Rocket and her family present Black, while their community is a diverse one. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An upbeat story that empowers young readers to fight for libraries. (more information on speaking up, recommended reading) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: July 18, 2023

ISBN: 9780593431269

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
ROCKET SAYS CLEAN UP!
by Nathan Bryon ; illustrated by Dapo Adeola

- BOOK REVIEW
ROCKET SAYS LOOK UP!
by Nathan Bryon ; illustrated by Dapo Adeola

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THE WATER PRINCESS

by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016

Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...

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An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.

Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.

Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
ARE YOU LISTENING?
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

- BOOK REVIEW
WHO I AM
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

- BOOK REVIEW
CAN YOU SEE IT?
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)