Subtle as a rock but likely to be more effective than many other bibliotherapeutic titles.
The colors leach out of a child’s bright world when his father is afflicted with depression. Will they ever return?
In this resolutely purposeful episode, a young boy describes his once-cheery dad’s downward spiral while repeatedly wondering—despite his father’s denials—if he’s somehow at fault for the changed behavior. Though on their walks together “the clouds smiled at him and the trees waved hello,” suddenly one day Dad is “full of sadness.” After that he sees only “the sun sulking, clouds, frowning, rain crying.” He stops leaving the house and sometimes even bed. In the illustrations, grays and blues take over for the bright greens and yellows, Dad stands with head bowed, and the narrator draws a crying figure on a foggy window. At last, “important people at a hospital” supply both medication and a therapist, and eventually the sun shines again, the shadows recede, and the boy gets a “great, big, squeezy hug.” Puzzlingly, the other parent making up the titular “family” appears in just one small scene. Though next to Quentin Blake’s illustrations in Michael Rosen’s Sad Book (2005), the use of color to signal emotional state is as heavy-handed as the prose, younger children struggling to cope with parental illness, particularly their own misplaced feelings of guilt, may draw comfort from the upbeat ending.
Subtle as a rock but likely to be more effective than many other bibliotherapeutic titles. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8075-1273-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
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
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
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