Proof that anyone can choose to be a hero.
A celebration of the everyday heroes who keep our world running smoothly.
While much of the pandemic zeitgeist involved praising the heroes who kept people healthy, fed, etc., there have not been many mainstream children’s books that have addressed these helpers. This book aims to change that but without the pandemic; the only mask is on a doctor examining a patient. Instead, Brisson and Semirdzhyan follow a young child in a red polka-dot dress and blue vest and their caretaker—both brown-skinned—as they move through their diverse city. Bouncy rhyming verses identify the heroes they see, only one of whom (a pizza delivery person) wears a superhero costume. These heroes cook and serve food, drive buses, haul away garbage, deliver mail, cut hair, and lead demonstrations (in this case, against climate change). The child points out that when kids are “brave or generous,” they are heroes, too: “You be there for me. // and I’ll be there for you.” Helping clean up a park, picking up a child’s dropped books, and sitting with someone at lunch are all things kids can do. An aftermatter note states: “Heroes are people who make the world a better place through their work, generosity, and caring interactions with others. Be a HERO.” The single- and double-page spreads show readers the many friendly faces of heroes. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Proof that anyone can choose to be a hero. (Informational picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-88448-936-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
Charming and thought-provoking proof that we all contain multitudes.
Oscar winner McConaughey offers intriguing life observations.
The series of pithy, wry comments, each starting with the phrase “Just because,” makes clear that each of us is a mass of contradictions: “Just because we’re friends, / doesn’t mean you can’t burn me. / Just because I’m stubborn, / doesn’t mean that you can’t turn me.” Witty, digitally rendered vignettes portray youngsters diverse in terms of race and ability (occasionally with pets looking on) dealing with everything from friendship drama to a nerve-wracking footrace. “Just because I’m dirty, / doesn’t mean I can’t get clean” is paired with an image of a youngster taking a bath while another character (possibly an older sibling) sits nearby, smiling. “Just because you’re nice, / doesn’t mean you can’t get mean” depicts the older one berating the younger one for tracking mud into the house. The artwork effectively brings to life the succinct, rhyming text and will help readers make sense of it. Perhaps, after studying the illustrations and gaining further insight into the comments, kids will reread and reflect upon them further. The final page unites the characters from earlier pages with a reassuring message for readers: “Just because the sun has set, / doesn’t mean it will not rise. / Because every day is a gift, / each one a new surprise. BELIEVE IT.” As a follow-up, readers should be encouraged to make their own suggestions to complete the titular phrase. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Charming and thought-provoking proof that we all contain multitudes. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780593622032
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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