With modern children learning an elder’s wisdom, this makes for a lovely day out
A current-day Interior Salish girl named Nikki and her two friends spend a day with Yayah, Nikki’s grandmother, learning about edible plants.
Nikki and Yayah are tanning a deer hide when they notice a rainbow blooming across the sky. When neighbors Jamesie Pookins and Lenny join them, Yayah asks if the children know which edible plants are ready to be gathered in the spring. They have many answers: wild rhubarb, wild celery, lightning mushrooms, and more. Even though they admit they don’t like how mushrooms taste, they want to help Yayah gather. Soon, everyone climbs into Auntie Karen’s minivan, and they leave to hunt for plants. As they do, Yayah teaches them which plants are safe to eat and which are not, all the while also teaching them the Nle?kepmxcín words for each plant, too. The dialogue naturally folds helpful pronunciation cues for several of the words into the text, and all words are printed with phonetic pronunciations in the closing glossary. Campbell’s (Interior Salish/Métis) quiet story weaves botanical facts with respect for the natural world, naming the plants in the Nle?kepmxcín language. Flett’s (Cree/Métis) colorful, calming illustrations blend very well with the tone of the text, often gracefully incorporating the pulled-out Nle?kepmxcín in display type. The flowers pop against the dark green grass, the relative smallness of the human figures in the landscape emphasizing their relationship with nature.
With modern children learning an elder’s wisdom, this makes for a lovely day out . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-56656-041-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crocodile/Interlink
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
Gleefully fun.
Is little Jesús prepared for the awesome responsibility of managing Papá’s magical water-jug clock?
Hooray, it’s Saturday! Jesús can help his gardener father with the family business. Jesús is tasked with taking care of the water jug, which, according to Papá, is “also a magical clock. It tells us how much work is left to do!” Jesús gets ready as Mamá reminds them “to drink lots of agua.” Piling into their trusty van with its supplies and intoxicating smell of gasoline, oil, and “yesterday’s cut grass,” Jesús and Papá head out. First stop: the Saldañas’ house, where Jesús gives water to some thirsty old cats, Papá, and himself (and splashes some water on his face) while Papá tends to the lawn. At Juan-Diego’s super big house with its tiny dog, Jesús hands out lots of water to everyone (plus two face splashes) to ward off the heat. By Stop Número Tres, the magical water-jug clock is out of water. Time to go home? But there are still 11 more houses to go. Oh no! Where did Jesús go wrong? A marvelous portrait of a working-class Latine family, Trejo’s picture-book debut, inspired by his own childhood experiences, brims with humorous, childlike observations. Anchored by its pint-sized mischief-maker, this tale of a loving father-son relationship radiates pure warmth. Kinkz’s scrappy watercolor-blended artwork bursts with bright colors and amusing details, matching its tiny hero’s chaotic spirit. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gleefully fun. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781662651045
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Minerva
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A cozy story for the stomach and the soul.
An ode to a beloved comfort food is also a love letter to family ties.
Esme, a dark brown–skinned child with long curly brown hair, and Abuela, who also has dark brown skin, visit the market to buy plátanos. When Abuela reminds Esme that plátanos are love, the young narrator muses, “I thought they were food. But Abuela says they feed us in more ways than one.” Esme receives a brief history lesson during the shopping trip, learning that their ancestors picked plátanos from trees long ago. Esme helps Abuela prepare several mouthwatering plátano dishes and hears more of their family history as they cook. Esme’s ancestors were forbidden from reading, writing, and drawing, so they memorized them and secretly passed the recipes down through generations. The tasty dishes of tostones y patacones, tajadas y maduros, and mangú y fufú are prepared with love and shared with friends and family. Esme writes the recipes down in a notebook titled “Nuestra Familia’s Cookbook” and notes that “Abuela says plátanos are our past. I say plátanos are our present. And with this book, plátanos will always be our future.” Text that incorporates unitalicized Spanish throughout and warm and inviting illustrations convey affection for both food and family and will leave readers hungry for plátanos. Characters throughout the book read as Afro-Latine. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A cozy story for the stomach and the soul. (glossary, recipes) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781665902731
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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