Written from a place of love and deeply attuned to the emotional needs of Black boys.
A kid lit giant extends a mighty message of love.
Hudson addresses readers directly—“Gary, I see you… / Hassan, I see you… / Jose, I see you”—using names that recognize the diversity of the African American community. He heartily affirms the movement, beauty, bodies, dreams, struggles, strengths, and fears of Black boys: “Tall, lean, lanky, and strutting yourself. / Dark and chocolate to the bone.” Word choices demonstrate a deep appreciation for Black culture: “long dreads crowning your head like a king,” “low-top fade your fresh new cut of choice.” Mallett’s largely sepia-toned digital painted illustrations reflect the author’s intimate perspective. Boys appear in familiar scenarios, playing basketball, dancing, making music, and learning; one scene finds a stunned-looking youngster facing off against another in a dark alley. The bold cover is compelling, with a child’s eyes centered, suggesting a book that peers into the very souls of Black boys. Toward the end, Hudson leaves readers with a message of love and strength: “Black boys, your ancestors see you…. / There’s greatness inside you that they passed on. / Made plans for you because they knew you were coming.” The final image, a maternal figure hugging a brown-skinned boy, perfectly matches the tone and will linger.
Written from a place of love and deeply attuned to the emotional needs of Black boys. (Picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798217002160
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books.
Curious about the Big Wide World outside his Sasquatch community, Hugo makes a friend who is of it.
Sasquatch Hugo’s bedroom is inside a cave and possesses the charming feature of a small stream running through it that he can sail his little toy boat on. It’s cool, but he yearns to see the Big Wide World. When he asks his smart friend Gigi if a Sasquatch might become a sailor, she says it’s possible but would be difficult—the primary rule of their people is to not be seen by Humans. Then, in everyone’s favorite Hide and Go Sneak class, which is held outside, a Human appears; Hugo laughs at the sight, drawing Human attention in a taboo-breaking mistake. Shortly after, Hugo’s toy boat floats into the cave with a Human toy—soon, it’s facilitating a pen-pal–type relationship that’s derailed when Hugo confesses to being a Sasquatch and Human Boone, a budding cryptozoologist, doesn’t believe him. How Hugo and Boone resolve this misapprehension and become friends in a joint search for the Ogopogo concludes this series opener. Potter keeps the third-person narrative tightly focused on Hugo’s perspective, and the details she uses to flesh out the Sasquatch world are delightfully playful. Sala’s drawings depict a homey Sasquatch cavern community, Boone as a freckled, white boy, and Hugo as a hairily benevolent behemoth.
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books. (final art unseen) (Fantasy. 5-9)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2859-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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