A timely nod to female empowerment that knits together generations of girls and women and raises a hat to activists...
Knitting and stylish headwear frame the 2017 Women’s March in a new light for young readers.
Lina is confused. Her grandmother owns scads of pink yarn yet insists that they go out and buy even more. The shade of pink Grandma requires is a “grown-up pink” necessary to make the pussyhats she’s knitting for family, friends, and strangers in preparation for the upcoming Women’s March. As Lina learns how to knit a hat of her own, her dad explains the significance of the headgear, her mother imparts knowledge about feminist movements to her and her brother, and Grandma shares her experiences participating in past women’s rights protests. Lina isn’t sure her small voice can make a difference in the struggle, but when she and her family attend the historic march, she becomes emboldened to work even harder for positive change. Newell DePalma’s deft and creative mixed-media illustrations incorporate appliqués of real-life pussyhats that showcase meticulous stitchwork. A single pink piece of yarn weaves and winds between the feet of the characters, drawing them forward toward the march and beyond. Knitting metaphors are worked into the text, such as when Lina suggests that she and her grandmother loop elbows at the march, “like we are knitting.” A closing author’s note gives background and context to the 2017 global demonstration. All main characters present as White.
A timely nod to female empowerment that knits together generations of girls and women and raises a hat to activists everywhere. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7624-7389-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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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