Welcome, Mary! We hope to see you again.
Pinkalicious + Fancy Nancy + Eloise = Mary, the diminutive, precocious, brown-skinned queen of glam.
The day Mary starts school, she declares to her mom, “I must accessorize.” And she does. With bows, buttons, scarves, and even a sheep-shaped purse with an attitude, Mary turns heads all over town. Her drab-looking (though racially diverse) classmates at Mother Goose Elementary (Little Boy Blue, Georgie Porgie, and Little Bo Peep as well as the unnamed others) certainly appear to have stepped out of eras long gone by. The brown-skinned teacher, complete with a bun atop her crown, also appears to be a relic. Mary soon changes their glamless lives with beads, feather boas, sporty hats, and festive patterns aplenty. Mary’s makeover magic leaves no school subject or space unturned. When recess arrives, a crisis ensues, for the kids are dressed all wrong for romping. Undaunted, Mary knows exactly what to do. Sauer’s rhythm never falters, and Brantley-Newton’s bright, fun-filled illustrations teem with energy and life and will keep young readers guessing: who or what will Mary accessorize next, and how? The array of skin tones will help all readers see themselves in this book in which imagination and creativity reign supreme. Whether by happenstance or by design, this delightful picture book positively answers the call for more books about children of color that aren’t about civil rights or slavery.
Welcome, Mary! We hope to see you again. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1393-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
A testament to the universality of love.
An expanded explanation of love in both English and Spanish.
Several animal personalities pose the question, “What is love?” and in a series of lift-the-flap responses present various emotional scenarios. Little Elephant asks Spider, “Is it the joy of having you around?” Spider asks, “Is it the way you lift me when I’m down?” Each page corresponds to a flap that reveals one of a multitude of feelings love can evoke in either an English or Spanish rhyme, which are not direct translations of each other. An interspersed refrain notes, “Amor for the Spanish, / and love en inglés. / Love in any language / always means the same.” A palette of pastels and purple and pink hues dominate as hearts abound on each page, surrounding the characters, who are adorable though on the overly sweet side. The characters are from the bilingual preschool series Canticos, though it will work even among those without knowledge of the show. Children more fluent in Spanish will be better able to appreciate this, and those familiar with the show will recognize the signature characters, including “Los Pollitos” (Little Chickies). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A testament to the universality of love. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-945635-72-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s always tomorrow.
A lyrical message of perseverance and optimism.
The text uses direct address, which the title- and final-page illustrations suggest comes from an adult voice, to offer inspiration and encouragement. The opening spreads reads, “Tonight as you sleep, a new day stirs. / Each kiss good night is a wish for tomorrow,” as the accompanying art depicts a child with black hair and light skin asleep in a bed that’s fantastically situated in a stylized landscape of buildings, overpasses, and roadways. The effect is dreamlike, in contrast with the next illustration, of a child of color walking through a field and blowing dandelion fluff at sunrise. Until the last spread, each child depicted in a range of settings is solitary. Some visual metaphors falter in terms of credibility, as in the case of a white-appearing child using a wheelchair in an Antarctic ice cave strewn with obstacles, as the text reads “you’ll explore the world, only feeling lost in your imagination.” Others are oblique in attempted connections between text and art. How does a picture of a pale-skinned, black-haired child on a bridge in the rain evoke “first moments that will dance with you”? But the image of a child with pink skin and brown hair scaling a wall as text reads “there will be injustice that will challenge you, and it will surprise you how brave you can be” is clearer.
There’s always tomorrow. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-101-99437-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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