A poignant exploration of longing and connection.
A mother and child navigate the depths of memory amid the beauty of a picturesque wood.
Every time the two of them hike together, the mother whispers, “Que saudade!” At first the young narrator is hesitant to ask what it means. When the little one finally asks, Mamãe tries to put the feeling into words to help the child understand. She describes a sense of nostalgia and the memories that bubble up when scents, feelings, or places remind her of growing up in Brazil. Saudade is “a strong longing for something you can’t have.” While Mamãe enjoys reminiscing, she also feels heartache; she misses her homeland and loved ones. The child remembers a recent visit to Brazil, where the little one had fun adventures, hiking with cousins and swimming with grandparents. But now the child must use a laptop to communicate with those relatives. Memories are bittersweet when family members are so far away. The term “saudade” lets the little one name the feeling, and while these emotions are painful, they help the child feel connected to culture and family. Softly rendered digital and watercolor illustrations aptly bring to life the fond memories recalled throughout the story, while the text exudes tenderness. In an author’s note, Crespo discusses this Portuguese and Galician word further and speaks to her experiences as a Brazilian immigrant. Mamãe and the child have tan skin and brown hair; a broad range of skin tones are depicted throughout.
A poignant exploration of longing and connection. (Portuguese glossary) (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: June 25, 2024
ISBN: 9780823452293
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...
Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.
The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mackinac Island Press
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
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