A positive boost from a strong role model.
NBA legend Curry draws from his own childhood experiences to tell the story of an aspiring basketball player with a hidden ability.
Eight-year-old Hughes isn’t going to tell everyone what his superpower is—he’s going to show them, and he wants to teach readers how to use theirs, too. On his way to the basketball court, Hughes discusses how he discovered his power: First, his mom told him about it, and then his coach told him, too. Dressed in his tank top and shorts, Hughes arrives at the basketball court ready for action. He watches the tallest kids and the fastest kids get picked first for teams. But Hughes’ superpower isn’t one that he was born with, nor is it one that he picked up quickly—it took months of practice. His is a power that can be applied to any passion: his heart. Bowers’ energetic, cartoonlike illustrations work well with the comic-style narration: A Black television announcer on a screen appears on each page, prompting Hughes to share his story, which appears in speech bubbles. This dual narration makes for a dynamic presentation of the overt message, which many children need to hear. A diverse cast of characters surround Hughes, who is brown-skinned (one of his parents presents Black; the other is tan-skinned). Curry appears on the final spread, telling readers that he didn’t let discouraging comments stop him from playing the game that he loves. He invites readers to go back through the book and find a list of his favorite things hidden in the images throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A positive boost from a strong role model. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-38604-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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