A powerful story of intergenerational strength, womanhood, and Native pride.
Children gather to watch a historical event, the swearing in of the first Indigenous secretary of the Department of the Interior.
After school, young Pia, whose mother is Anishinaabe and whose father is Chamorro, runs to the Native American center, where Auntie Autumn greets her with “Hersha Tuhe,” Ramaytush Ohlone for greetings. Pia and other diverse kids watch on TV as Deb Haaland makes history. Pia notices that “Auntie Deb” is wearing a ribbon skirt, a ceremonial garment that celebrates Indigenous womanhood. That night, the kids and their families attend a celebration in honor of Secretary Haaland, where they make their own ribbon skirts. Bunten (Aleut/Yup’ik) engages readers with lively language (“a parade of beef stew, fry bread, dried buffalo”). Neidhardt’s (Diné) bold, realistic art radiates with strength, especially when Pia’s grandmother teaches her about the importance of regalia: “You shine with all the strength of our mothers and grandmothers since time immemorial.” Grandma adds that Auntie Deb wore the ribbon skirt for the ancestors and for “all the mothers, aunties, daughters, and grandmothers yet to be born—Native and non-Native,” and Pia realizes the power woven into each ribbon skirt. The colors of the ribbons symbolize connections to the natural world. References to rooreh salad and sage hint at an inclusion of various Indigenous cultures. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A powerful story of intergenerational strength, womanhood, and Native pride. (more information on Deb Haaland, the history and meaning of ribbon skirts, instructions on writing a letter to the government, author’s and illustrator’s notes, sources) (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: July 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780316430036
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D.
Breakout kid barber J.D. embraces a summer of opportunity.
Readers met J.D. Jones just as he took his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, by storm, winning himself community acclaim and a chair at the revered Hart and Sons barbershop in series opener J.D. and the Great Barber Battle(2021). What’s next for the haircut prodigy? School’s just getting out, and there’s so much life happening outside—if only one can escape home learning with the grandparents. J.D.’s sister, Vanessa, brings along multitalented mutual friend Jessyka to share an ambitious challenge: “Let’s start a YouTube channel!” Can they get millions of views and wow the whole world? They are already amazing at haircuts and hairstyles—all they need is to learn how to make a great YouTube video. The story models strategies for scripting short videos reflecting the templates of viral YouTube hair tutorials, inviting readers to not only see the journey of the characters, but maybe also practice these skills at home. This book is bound to educate all about some of the most storied and cherished traditions within the Black community. Bringing in Vanessa is a great touch to extend the series across gender, and hopefully she’ll get a chance to lead her own adventures. This book blends skill-building, entrepreneurship, and strong family values to give young Black children visions of what’s possible when they follow their passions and embrace their community.
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11155-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Long-winded but uplifting nonetheless.
Comedian, singer, and YouTube star Rainbow urges readers not to let others dim their light.
Young Randy Rainbow lives life out loud. While his classmates wear “dull blue jeans and drab T-shirts,” he sports “brightly colored three-piece suits and sparkly bow ties,” paints his nails, and listens to Broadway albums. After being called a “weirdo” at school, he tries to tamp down his sparkly side. While helping his grandmother sort through some of her old belongings, he stumbles across a pair of magical cat-eye glasses that, according to Nanny, allow whoever puts them on to “be anything and anywhere [they] want.” After rocking the glasses at school and a number of other locations, Randy becomes popular and confident, but when he breaks them on the way to a birthday party, he’s despondent. Nanny reveals that the glasses never had any powers; the magic was in Randy all along. While the message about being true to oneself is an important one, the unevenly paced, wordy text often tells more than it shows. At times it feels as though the author’s trying to pad out a somewhat thin story; multiple examples of Randy sporting his new specs in a variety of scenarios drag quite a bit. Swirls of pink feature prominently in MacGibbon’s cartoon illustrations. Randy and Nanny are pale-skinned; hints in the text suggest that they may be Jewish.
Long-winded but uplifting nonetheless. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781250900777
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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