A thoughtful, empathetic, and stirring child’s-eye view of an all-too-common struggle.
Momma hasn’t been the same since returning from her deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa.
The Momma who twirled to Beyoncé and loved gardening is gone, and in her place is a Momma who can’t always manage to get out of bed, who has explosive outbursts, and who’s lost “the sunlight spotlight smile” her child once found so much comfort and joy in. The attentive young protagonist tries to help, dragging a bucket of dirt into the house and opening the curtains to remind Momma of who she was. Momma’s quiet, but she digs her fingers into the dirt, and things slowly begin looking up. Momma makes it clear that none of this is the child’s fault, and the next day, the two smile as the wildflowers bloom and Beyoncé plays in the background. Bell’s masterfully rendered, digitally edited ink and charcoal illustrations depict a Black mother and child whose love for each other is palpable even during moments of anguish. Scenes of them in the garden on Momma’s good days are bright and lively. In contrast, the hard days are illustrated with a surrealistic quality that demonstrates the impact of Momma’s pain on the whole family. Bingham’s text is honest yet child-friendly; laudably, she makes it clear that the burden of resolving a parent’s PTSD shouldn’t fall upon a child and that grappling with mental-health issues takes time.
A thoughtful, empathetic, and stirring child’s-eye view of an all-too-common struggle. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781419761553
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.
A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.
The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard.
A grouchy sapling on a Christmas tree farm finds that there are better things than lights and decorations for its branches.
A Grinch among the other trees on the farm is determined never to become a sappy Christmas tree—and never to leave its spot. Its determination makes it so: It grows gnarled and twisted and needle-less. As time passes, the farm is swallowed by the suburbs. The neighborhood kids dare one another to climb the scary, grumpy-looking tree, and soon, they are using its branches for their imaginative play, the tree serving as a pirate ship, a fort, a spaceship, and a dragon. But in winter, the tree stands alone and feels bereft and lonely for the first time ever, and it can’t look away from the decorated tree inside the house next to its lot. When some parents threaten to cut the “horrible” tree down, the tree thinks, “Not now that my limbs are full of happy children,” showing how far it has come. Happily for the tree, the children won’t give up so easily, and though the tree never wished to become a Christmas tree, it’s perfectly content being a “trick or tree.” Martinez’s digital illustrations play up the humorous dichotomy between the happy, aspiring Christmas trees (and their shoppers) and the grumpy tree, and the diverse humans are satisfyingly expressive.
Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-7335-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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