Further examples of Black excellence in action—rousing and inspiring.
Weatherford celebrates the strengths and achievements of famous African American women.
This companion volume to Hair Like Obama’s, Hands Like Lebron’s (2024) uses the power of poetry to highlight important figures while demonstrating how young people can emulate them. The 17 women highlighted come from various walks of life. The book’s young narrator ventures forth with “nerves as steady as Harriet’s” and “feet as firm as Rosa’s.” Apart from historical figures Tubman and Parks, Weatherford also pays tributes to the likes of former Vice President Kamala Harris and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. While the subjects may come from different worlds, Weatherford draws deft connections between them; former First Lady Michelle Obama and basketball coach Dawn Staley both possess strong leadership skills, for instance. The author lauds her subject’s physical traits (“With skin as bronze as Imam’s / I’m kissed by the sun’s bright light”) as well as their inner qualities, emphasizing that readers, too, can display such resilience and perseverance. Her smooth rhymes enliven this text and bring to life the importance of role models. Filled with vibrant colors, Durr’s digital illustrations make clear the connection between the young protagonist and the accomplished subjects; this little one twirls like ballerina Misty Copeland, quilts like artist Faith Ringgold, and gazes through a telescope as NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson works on equations. Brief biographies are a welcome addition in the backmatter.
Further examples of Black excellence in action—rousing and inspiring. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781419771507
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
Adults will do better skipping the book and talking with their children.
Social-equity themes are presented to children in ABC format.
Terms related to intersectional inequality, such as “class,” “gender,” “privilege,” “oppression,” “race,” and “sex,” as well as other topics important to social justice such as “feminism,” “human being,” “immigration,” “justice,” “kindness,” “multicultural,” “transgender,” “understanding,” and “value” are named and explained. There are 26 in all, one for each letter of the alphabet. Colorful two-page spreads with kid-friendly illustrations present each term. First the term is described: “Belief is when you are confident something exists even if you can’t see it. Lots of different beliefs fill the world, and no single belief is right for everyone.” On the facing page it concludes: “B is for BELIEF / Everyone has different beliefs.” It is hard to see who the intended audience for this little board book is. Babies and toddlers are busy learning the names for their body parts, familiar objects around them, and perhaps some basic feelings like happy, hungry, and sad; slightly older preschoolers will probably be bewildered by explanations such as: “A value is an expression of how to live a belief. A value can serve as a guide for how you behave around other human beings. / V is for VALUE / Live your beliefs out loud.”
Adults will do better skipping the book and talking with their children. (Board book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-78603-742-8
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
A heartwarming testament to music’s emotional power.
Music moves a nonverbal child to speak.
The narrator explains that Ronan was “born quiet. Some days he hardly says a word.” Today, when Father and Mother suggest outings to the beach or park, he’s quiet. But he looks up when Grandfather bursts in and proposes attending a concert. With refreshing optimism, Grandfather proclaims it “an adventure,” though Ronan’s parents worry about the “challenge” and “risk” of taking him to a performance. And when Ronan, his dog, and Grandfather reach Symphony Hall, an adventure it is. When the music starts, Ronan is swept away in a whirl of notes. Collectively, the instruments sound like “a sky full of stars,” sending him and his cheerful pup into a space-themed reverie. Boss notes that “the darker instruments sound cool and frightening” and the lighter ones sound “warm and friendly” but does not name the instruments, a missed opportunity to deepen readers’ understanding of the music enthralling Ronan. Audience and orchestra members alike are moved to laughter and applause when the music stops, and an awed Ronan utters his first “WOW!” Kheiriyeh’s endearing, pastel-hued cartoon illustrations convey Ronan’s astonishment and joy. Though an author’s note explains that the story is based on an actual nonverbal child’s experience of a Mozart piece in 2019, details such as Mother’s pearls and housedress and Grandfather’s finned car evoke a bucolic 1950s setting. Ronan and his family present white; background characters are racially diverse.
A heartwarming testament to music’s emotional power. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781534499713
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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