A tender, whimsical look at growth, change, and sisters.
“I’d had my suspicions for a while…that someone had replaced my sister with a girl who looked a lot like her. It had to be!”
These words spread over the opening double-page spread, which presents a small girl kneeling on the floor, surrounded by scattered photographs and gazing disconsolately at a family album. On the next page, she is in a kitchen, staring at her big sister, who “was never so tall.” The art is arresting and amusing, a skillful combination of watercolor and other media, using a limited palette. Young readers with older siblings may recognize signs of adolescence considered typical in Western society: a sudden refusal to engage in childish games; secretiveness—“even when it wasn’t close to my birthday”—new intimacy with Mum; pervasive door-slamming. One telling, funny moment occurs when the protagonist turns to her sister’s friends for clues: “but something wasn’t right with them either. And it wasn’t just that a lot of them were boys.” This passage is accompanied by a lineup of wired-in, apathetic-looking teenagers. Despite stereotyping, the book is noteworthy for taking the viewpoint of a younger sibling instead of the more common theme of a beleaguered older child. Gently humorous art and text transform a simple story into a haven for children feeling temporarily sibling-wary.
A tender, whimsical look at growth, change, and sisters. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-909263-52-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Perfectly suited to be shared with both those of the culture and those looking on.
On Soul Food Sunday, one of the youngest members of the family tags along with Granny to learn what goes into making the hallmark foods of Sunday dinner.
An African American family gathers for their weekly Soul Food Sunday dinner. One of the youngest grandchildren finally gets to help in the kitchen and dons the jacket of his late grandfather’s Army chef’s uniform for the special day. Nearby, a picture of his grandfather seems to look on approvingly. Granny and her helper shred cheese and clean and prep the various greens and meats. With each step, the narrator gives it his all in a rhythmic, pleasingly repetitive text, and Granny warmly approves. After the food begins to cook, Granny takes a nap, and her little helper goes back to the kitchen and prepares a pitcher of sweet tea all by himself. After all, as Granny says about each item they’ve prepped together, the greens, the mac ’n’ cheese, and the meat, “Unless sweet tea is on the table, it’s not Soul Food Sunday.” The lively, graffitilike illustrations are slightly reminiscent of the 1990s, seen in grill master Roscoe Ray’s flip-top sunglasses, Granny’s goddess braids, and the narrator’s high-top fade. There are times, however, when the light, spindly type fails to hold up against such robust illustrations. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Perfectly suited to be shared with both those of the culture and those looking on. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4771-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A clever way to ensure everyone is ready for the first day.
After all the school-supply shopping and the back-to-school night, students are ready for their first days of school, but what about their teachers?
In this primer, Reagan and Wildish (How to Raise a Mom, 2017, etc.) teach kids how to make their teachers feel welcome in their classrooms and how to ease their fears about the first day and the many special days sprinkled throughout the calendar. It’s a clever ruse that just may work on those kids who are very nervous—after all, easing someone else’s fears often soothes one’s own, not to mention the fact that by going through the school day and year, the book is prepping readers for what they can expect. From greeting your teacher with a big smile and putting on a smock in the art room to combing your hair and avoiding messy snacks on picture day and counting to 100 many ways on the 100th day, the basics are all covered. Wildish’s teacher is a white woman with brown hair, her class a mix of genders and skin and hair colors; one child sports glasses. Vignette, full-, and double-page illustrations against solid or simple backgrounds keep the focus on what children can expect at school, though emotion tends to be rather one-note (happy) and the kids lack the individual personalities of those in Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten.
A clever way to ensure everyone is ready for the first day. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-53825-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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