A thrilling ode to rap and the creative process.
A talented youngster schools readers in this rhyming introduction to hip-hop.
Prolific author Carole Boston Weatherford and her son, spoken word poet Jeffery Boston Weatherford, have teamed up for a tutorial on composing and performing rap lyrics. The narrator, a swaggering Black child who was “born holding a mic, pad, and pen,” is the perfect teacher. As the setting shifts from a living room to the child’s neighborhood, the park, and the train station, the text introduces many poetic devices and rap-specific terminology (defined in a glossary at the end), starting with hyperbole: “Once I took the mic, I rapped for five years straight.” The authors encourage readers to write about what matters to them, to practice, and to perform. Reading the lively text aloud is an accessible and fun way to practice rapping. Martinez’s joyful illustrations employ both primary and pastel colors, shading, collagelike layers, and words to create a child’s creative world with an irresistible sense of depth and mood. Pieces of lined yellow paper are woven throughout the spreads to hold text and remind readers of the tools of the creative process. Old-school hip-hop gets a shoutout with depictions of records, boom boxes, and cassette tapes.
A thrilling ode to rap and the creative process. (note from Jeffery Boston Weatherford, glossary) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781250833570
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A self-affirming tale with limited appeal.
Actor Kruger embraces her unusual name and bestows her daughter with a name with special significance.
To many, the name Diane doesn’t sound odd, but when the author was growing up in Germany, it didn’t “sound German at all, like Anna, Lena, or Heidi.” In this picture book, Kruger reminisces about the meaning of her name and how she came to appreciate it. Delicately drawn illustrations with a light watercolor wash first depict a young, blond, White-presenting Diane in red patchwork overalls with her blue-kerchiefed pet bunny, Benny. To escape childhood taunting, Diane reads to Benny as Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, and other fairy-tale characters look on. When her mother explains she was named for a goddess, presumably the Roman goddess Diana, “a fearless huntress, strong-willed, with magical powers,” young Diane begins to wonder what her own special powers will be. After she and her mother travel to London, depicted with diverse citizens, and Diane sees a play for the first time, she realizes her gift is storytelling. Adult readers, especially fans of Kruger, will recognize illustrated scenes from several of her movies. She concludes with a tribute to her daughter and the distinct name she gave her and asks children to ponder their own names and powers. Though the art is attractive, overall, this quiet, understated tale will resonate more with caregiving readers than with children. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A self-affirming tale with limited appeal. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66265-091-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
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