Wisely counsels looking to our past to find our future.
In a starlit room, an unnamed protagonist listens to her aunties tell stories.
The female elders tell tales of immigration, multilingualism, and change. The protagonist soaks the stories up, completely rapt. Every word her aunties say feels “steeped in love and lore.” The more she listens, the more she wants to tell her own story. But how will she know what her story will be? Soon, her imagination takes flight. Will her story be about sailing away with pirates who have forgotten their trousers? Or will her story be about teaching magical creatures their alphabets? She wonders if she will become an explorer. When her aunties hear that she is trying to tell her story, they encourage her to find her own voice. That is when the protagonist realizes that her story is more than just her present and future: It is also her past, including all the memories and adventures and histories she’s inherited from women like her aunties. By the end of the book, the narrator still isn’t sure what her story will be, but—with the help of her aunties—she is excited to find out. The book’s text is lyrical, whimsical, and inspiring, the vision of interweaving individual and collective stories both accessible and heartwarming. The illustrations of the brown-skinned protagonist and racially diverse aunties are gentle and playful. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Wisely counsels looking to our past to find our future. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-20506-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
The visual details invite interaction, making it a good choice for storytime or solo inspection.
It’s a quiet day, until….
“I have a bot!” An excited child’s happiness is short-lived, for the remote-controlled toy escapes its wireless tether and begins an ascent up the side of a skyscraper. The building’s doorman launches a race to recover the bot, and soon everyone wants to help. Attempts to retrieve the bot, which is rendered as a red rectangle with a propeller, arms, and a rudimentary face, go from the mundanity of a broom to the absurd—a bright orange beehive hairdo and a person-sized Venus’ flytrap are just some of the silly implements the building’s occupants use to try to rein in the bot. Each double-page spread reveals another level of the building—and further visual hijinks—as the bot makes its way to the top, where an unexpected hero waits (keep an eye out for falling bananas). The tall, narrow trim size echoes the shape of the skyscraper, providing a sense of height as the bot rises. Text is minimal; short declarations in tidy black dialogue bubbles with white courier-style typeface leave the primary-colored, blocky art to effectively carry the story. Facial expressions—both human and bot—are comically spot-on. The bot-owning child has light skin, and there are several people of color among those trying to rescue the bot. One person wears a kufi.
The visual details invite interaction, making it a good choice for storytime or solo inspection. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: July 23, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-425-28881-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
A Yuletide romp suffused with magic and good feeling.
The days leading up to Christmas are always full of adventure for Dasher the reindeer—and this year is no exception.
While gazing up at the northern lights, Dasher encounters a polar bear named George who marvels at her flying abilities and wishes he could soar through the wintery air, too. Alas, Dasher’s efforts to help George harness Christmas magic and take flight don’t go well. Tavares’ full-bleed digital art captures one of his failed attempts—one that ends with a dramatic splash “face-first into the icy water.” George is good-natured about the disappointment (“I suppose these four paws belong right here in the snow”), but Dasher later tells her mother that she wishes she could have taught her new friend to fly. As the story unfolds, colorful, expansive skyscapes support the central theme of flight, though overly large, white text boxes superimposed on the pictures somewhat undermine the visual power of the beautiful polar setting. Ultimately, light-skinned Santa Claus is the one who makes George’s Christmas wish come true—by inviting him for a ride in the sleigh once all the presents have been delivered. George is thrilled (“Exhilarating!” “Positively unforgettable!”), and Dasher’s glad to have shared in the moment.
A Yuletide romp suffused with magic and good feeling. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781536236316
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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