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A SUMMER NIGHT CONCERT

A sweet collection of poems to celebrate the turn of the seasons.

The small things rarely noticed, like the “tender hands” of spring and the “colorful rain” of summer, are captured here.

Though not laid out in a recognizable verse format, the lyrical passages in this book employ metaphor and personification to deliver image-rich experiences characteristic of poetry. Winter is briefly mentioned as the bees “fly out to shake their transparent wings in the golden sunshine,” but the book’s seven poems dwell on the three other seasons, inviting readers to explore them through the senses. Readers will hear the “pitter-patter” of the falling rain as “the farm crops take a cold shower,” see the sunshine “on the lotus leaves, the silver dewdrops…sparkling and bright,” and feel Mother Corn embrace “her children even though they have already grown whiskers.” Cheng’s soft and gentle illustrations extend Tong’s text, originally published in China and printed here in an uncredited translation. Whether it is the floating dandelion seeds flying with Granny Wind or Grandpa Owl protecting the beautiful summer’s concert, the illustrations are a pleasing representation of each poem. Rendered in soft colors and with varying perspectives, the world changes with each turn of the page and each emotion expressed. Some compositions are oddly blank, perhaps due to the shift from Chinese to English printing conventions. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A sweet collection of poems to celebrate the turn of the seasons. (Picture book/poetry. 5-9)

Pub Date: June 30, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-4788-7411-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Reycraft Books

Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021

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LITTLE DAYMOND LEARNS TO EARN

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.

How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!

John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

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A BIKE LIKE SERGIO'S

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...

Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.

This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-7636-6649-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016

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