by Samuel Narh ; illustrated by Jo Loring-Fisher ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019
A quiet, positive story that opens a window into what it can look and feel like to grow up in a biracial, multinational...
Maisie has the best of many worlds in her multiracial family.
A brown-skinned little girl with puffy Afro hair, Maisie begins her scrapbook with small watercolor portraits of her family in the front endpapers: Mama and Dada as children and several pictures of Maisie’s younger self. She writes that she is “the little girl who saves the world from Ananse the spider” and whose mama tells her “a bull is not a pet.” This sets the stage for the contrasts between her parents: Her dark-skinned West African dada takes her on regular flights of fancy, while her white mama keeps her grounded and safe. Despite their differences, both parents love her dearly. Dada plays a marimba, Mama plays viola, and Maisie plays maracas—this family embraces global music. The Sankofa bird and the Ghanaian Adinkra symbol Gye Nyame (“except for God”) appear in the illustrations, both of which relate to going back and fetching the past to find a way forward—a likely motivation for Dada’s African stories. In the mixed-media illustrations, the outdoor and fantasy scenes fill the pages with color and contrast with Maisie’s time indoors, where entertaining herself seems to present a slight challenge.
A quiet, positive story that opens a window into what it can look and feel like to grow up in a biracial, multinational family that’s rich in story . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-911373-57-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lantana
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 16, 2024
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static.
In his latest outing, Bear and his pals go in search of eggs.
Bear “lumbers with his friends through the Strawberry Vale.” Raven finds a nest; climbing up, “The bear finds eggs!”: a refrain that appears throughout. Instead of eating the robin’s eggs, however, Bear leaves a gift of dried berries in the nest for the “soon-to-be-chicks.” Next, the friends find 10 mallard eggs (as bright blue as the robin’s), and Bear leaves sunflower seeds. Then the wail of Mama Meadowlark, whose bright yellow undercarriage strikes a warm golden note, leads them to promise to find her lost eggs. With his friends’ assistance, Bear finds one, and they decide to paint them “so they aren’t lost again.” Another is discovered, painted, and placed in Hare’s basket. After hours of persistent searching, Bear suddenly spots the remaining two eggs “in a small patch of clover.” Before they can return these eggs, the chicks hatch and rejoin their mother. Back at his lair, Bear, with his troupe, is visited by all 17 chicks and the robin, mallard, and meadowlark moms: “And the bear finds friends!” Though this sweet spring tale centers on finding and painting eggs, it makes no overt references to Easter. The soft green and blue acrylics, predictable rhymes, and rolling rhythm make this series installment another low-key natural read-aloud.
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781665936552
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2020
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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