A potent meditation that twines past with present.
A Black child’s dive into the deep blue sea leads to a sacred encounter with a sunken slave ship.
“Come and take a trip into / the biggest, brightest, bluest blue. // Where buoys bounce. / Where I am brave. / Where divers dip / below the waves.” At first glance, this appears to be a lighthearted swimming story, but, as readers soon discover, it’s much more—a reckoning beneath the sea. As the youngster descends and comes across the ancient ship, the setting darkens and history begins to surface: “A deeper dive. / A closer look. / A thousand hands the ocean took. // What happened here? Where did they go? / What were their names? I want to know.” Communing with the spirit of another youngster, our protagonist is immersed in the past, encountering the souls of the ancestors: “the rhythmic rap of dancing drums; / Asante, Bono, Fanti tongues.” Both text and art are filled with lush imagery; Minter’s luminous artwork juxtaposes the child against the bright blue ocean and line drawings of the Sankofa bird, an Adinkra symbol embraced across the African diaspora that represents the ability to learn lessons from the past while moving forward. Backmatter explaining the Sankofa symbol or the history of slave ships and wrecks would have strengthened the work; young readers will need some grounding from educators or caregivers. Still, the narrative offers a moving reflection on remembrance, healing, and reconciliation.
A potent meditation that twines past with present. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9780063251380
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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