Best for curious nonfiction lovers or for reference, this unconventionally designed book fulfills its purpose.
Colorful pages introduce the names of historical and contemporary African American figures to young readers.
This follow-up to King’s picture book Have I Ever Told You, illustrated by Anna Horváth (2019), gets specific in its affirmation of Black lives. From “the very first person to die for [the] dream” of American independence, Crispus Attucks, through the freedom fighters down the ages who always knew that Black lives matter, the writers and artists who affirmed the same, and the statespeople who “worked to build a better world,” the unnamed adult narrator leads child readers in a direct address through pages of names to drive home the fact that “Black lives matter.” The litany is rhythmic and powerful, punctuated all along the way with “Have I told you…?” The historical and contemporary examples of Black excellence effectively build up a sense of confidence and indisputable value before the Black lives cut short by violence are named, so that these acts of violence are seen in proper context as wrongful denial of a birthright. Each spread splashes words in large display type on brightly colored pages, making the eye wander, then linger. Some spreads feature images or silhouettes of iconic individuals using the same bright palette. While the first pages list names within categories, the final pages offer minibiographies of those 116 individuals, in encyclopedia-style columns with small type in bright colors against a light blue background.
Best for curious nonfiction lovers or for reference, this unconventionally designed book fulfills its purpose. (Nonfiction. 6-12)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-88448-889-7
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
With young readers diagnosed with anxiety in ever increasing numbers, this book offers a necessary mirror to many.
Young Raina is 9 when she throws up for the first time that she remembers, due to a stomach bug. Even a year later, when she is in fifth grade, she fears getting sick.
Raina begins having regular stomachaches that keep her home from school. She worries about sharing food with her friends and eating certain kinds of foods, afraid of getting sick or food poisoning. Raina’s mother enrolls her in therapy. At first Raina isn’t sure about seeing a therapist, but over time she develops healthy coping mechanisms to deal with her stress and anxiety. Her therapist helps her learn to ground herself and relax, and in turn she teaches her classmates for a school project. Amping up the green, wavy lines to evoke Raina’s nausea, Telgemeier brilliantly produces extremely accurate visual representations of stress and anxiety. Thought bubbles surround Raina in some panels, crowding her with anxious “what if”s, while in others her negative self-talk appears to be literally crushing her. Even as she copes with anxiety disorder and what is eventually diagnosed as mild irritable bowel syndrome, she experiences the typical stresses of school life, going from cheer to panic in the blink of an eye. Raina is white, and her classmates are diverse; one best friend is Korean American.
With young readers diagnosed with anxiety in ever increasing numbers, this book offers a necessary mirror to many. (Graphic memoir. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-545-85251-7
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information.
Two youngsters embark on a journey peppered with history, trivia, and skits while teaching money lessons.
Meet Mellody and John, the young stars of this currency showcase. Their very first dialogue offers a taste of the intriguing information to come, from the ancient Mayans’ use of cacao beans as payment to the origins of the piggy bank. The book offers a chronologically and geographically broad timeline of the history of money, encompassing the past 3.9 billion years (starting with meteorite crashes that scattered metals—“the very first bank deposit”) and referencing practices across five continents. Readers will find themselves eagerly sharing the facts gleaned here, including the centuries-old origins of terms and expressions still used today. Mellody and John’s fun banter crucially reflects their experiences with money, such as their families’ differing attitudes toward allowances. Both are savers as well as givers, sharing stories about giving to charity. In one especially entertaining section, a cat and a bunny converse in money-related catchphrases that are separately defined at the bottom of each page. Stevens’ watercolors are appropriately realistic and appealing, whether depicting Mellody’s pretend bank or Elizabeth II’s butler ironing a 10-pound note. Messages about money’s use as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, ensure that readers will think about their own purposes for their savings. Mellody and John are Black.
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781536224719
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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