Hawaiians do—and should—take great pride in their heritage. This attempt to share it with the world, however, seems like it...
Originally published exclusively in Hawaii in 2009, this reissued title is now widely available, just in time for the upcoming electoral race.
In what is more a tribute to the 50th state than to President Obama, the Carolans explore Hawaiian traditions and link them to snippets from the president’s speeches, writings and interviews. Familiar words such as “aloha” and “lei” give room to lesser-known Hawaiian terms like “pono” (fair or just), “ho‘oponopono” (resolving conflict) and “kokua” (help). Written in rhyming couplets, the text attempts to capture the rhythmic rocking of a Hawaiian wave, yet more often than not, it is stilted and awkward. Some couplets appear to be thrown together almost as an afterthought or filler: “Here is where our president went to school. / Studying hard and getting good grades is very cool.” Zunon’s illustrations, saturated with lush greens and deep orange sunsets, lend a comforting warmth to the Hawaiian way of life. Photographs, signposts, newspaper headlines and more give a homey, scrapbook feel.
Hawaiians do—and should—take great pride in their heritage. This attempt to share it with the world, however, seems like it is piggybacking on celebrity and falls flat. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5230-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
A worthy message delivered with a generous dose of inclusivity.
Sharing books brings children from multiple backgrounds together in this companion to Stacey’s Extraordinary Words (2021).
Again lightly burnishing actual childhood memories, voting rights activist and former gubernatorial candidate Abrams recalls reaching out as a young book lover to Julie, a new Vietnamese classmate shy about reading in English. Choosing books to read and discuss together on weekly excursions to the school’s library, the two are soon joined by enough other children from Gambia, South Korea, and elsewhere that their beaming librarian, Mr. McCormick, who is dark-skinned, sets up an after-school club. Later, Julie adds some give and take to their friendship by helping Stacey overcome her own reluctance to join the other children on the playground. Though views of the library seen through a faint golden haze flecked with stars go a little over the top (school librarians may disagree), Thomas fills the space with animated, bright-eyed young faces clustering intimately together over books and rendered in various shades beneath a range of hairstyles and head coverings. The author underscores the diversity of the cast by slipping scattered comments in Spanish, Wolof, and other languages into the dialogue and, after extolling throughout the power of books and stories to make new friends as well as open imaginations to new experiences and identities, brings all of her themes together in an afterword capped by an excellent list of recommended picture books. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A worthy message delivered with a generous dose of inclusivity. (Picture-book memoir. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-327185-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
In 1946 Nova Scotia, Viola Desmond thought to pass an afternoon at the movies while waiting for her car to be repaired. Desmond was the owner of her own beauty salon and founder of the Desmond School of Beauty Culture to train black students. She sat downstairs at the Roseland Theatre, although black people were supposed to sit in the balcony. She refused to move, was arrested and held in jail overnight. Throughout her trial and subsequent appeal, no one would admit that this was a racial issue. Instead the judge focused on the tiny differential in ticket price and fined her $20, then worth ten times what it is today. Using a cadenced style that echoes the oral tradition of African-Canadians, Warner recounts the story simply, allowing children to see raw discrimination for what it was. Rudnicki uses bold acrylics in vivid colors to tell the story. He captures the style, dress and look of the period, and the flap copy notes his images were based on archival photographs. An historical note with a couple of bibliographic citations offers more background. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-88899-779-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
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