An attempt at conveying the power of story, dampened by a simplistic depiction of a Latine community.
In this tale translated from Spanish, visits from a bookmobile transform a Honduran neighborhood.
Villa Nueva is a place where “happy stories mix with sad ones.” Young Luis likes to lift his family’s spirits by sharing happy ones. On Mondays, the bookmobile’s arrival at school gives him the chance to replenish his well. Read-alouds, puppet shows, and the books the children choose for silent reading enable Luis and his classmates to “carry a glimmer of happiness back to their homes.” Backmatter explains that the story is inspired by the work of JustWorld International, a nonprofit that partners with the local organization Asociación Compartir. Co-author Rodríguez, a writer, educator, and musician from Trojes, El Paraíso, Honduras, who appears in the book, works with the real-life bookmobile. Though the community is initially described as a blend of happy and sad tales, it’s visually depicted as a depressing place where everyone looks downcast. Monochromatic blues and grays dominate, and rich hues appear only when Luis tells a story and when the bookmobile arrives, suggesting less the uplifting potential of a good story than that these people’s lives would be pure misery if it weren’t for the help of people outside the community. While the art is lush and textured and the story engaging, they can’t make up for this flattening portrayal. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An attempt at conveying the power of story, dampened by a simplistic depiction of a Latine community. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780802856166
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
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
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