Its heart’s in the right place, but the execution’s lackluster.
How do you make a dream a reality?
In 1978, at age 23, McGillivray, inspired by a cyclist who rode 3,000 miles across the country, began a run of nearly 3,450 miles across America to raise money for kids with cancer. How did he do it? With four years of planning, grit, hope, and appreciation of others for a start. This well-intentioned autobiographical selection traces his route, focusing on his resilience, his hard work, and the lessons he learned along the way. Colorful, sometimes awkward illustrations accompany a text that’s full of positivity, each double-page spread concluding with an affirmation such as “BIG dreams require BIG Faith” or “Every dream is sprinkled with doubts. Dream anyway!” While the story’s—and McGillivray’s—aspirations are praiseworthy, the tale itself, clearly designed to inspire others, has a tone that’s disarming but sometimes pedantic, and the development of skill and necessity of practice are glossed over in favor of the account of the run itself. Still, this selection may well inspire and motivate youngsters and can easily serve as a vehicle to teaching and developing social emotional skills, the importance of setting and reaching goals, and the need for fundraising and volunteerism. McGillivray and most of the people he encounters present white; there are some people of color in the backgrounds.
Its heart’s in the right place, but the execution’s lackluster. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61930-875-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nomad Press
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A delightful story of love and hope.
Families are formed everywhere—including large metropolitan mass-transit systems!
Baby Kevin, initially known as “Danny ACE Doe,” was found in the New York City’s 14th Street subway station, which serves the A-C-E lines, by one of his future fathers, Danny. Kevin’s other father, Pete (author Mercurio), serves as the narrator, explaining how the two men came to add the newborn to their family. Readers are given an abridged version of the story from Danny and Pete’s point of view as they work to formally adopt Kevin and bring him home in time for Christmas. The story excels at highlighting the determination of loving fathers while still including realistic moments of hesitation, doubt, and fear that occur for new and soon-to-be parents. The language is mindful of its audience (for example using “piggy banks” instead of “bank accounts” to discuss finances) while never patronizing young readers. Espinosa’s posterlike artwork—which presents the cleanest New York readers are ever likely to see—extends the text and makes use of unexpected angles to heighten emotional scenes and moments of urgency. The diversity of skin tones, ages, and faces (Danny and Pete both present white, and Kevin has light brown skin) befits the Big Apple. Family snapshots and a closing author’s note emphasize that the most important thing in any family is love. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.3-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 43% of actual size.)
A delightful story of love and hope. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-525-42754-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era.
The New Orleans school child who famously broke the color line in 1960 while surrounded by federal marshals describes the early days of her experience from a 6-year-old’s perspective.
Bridges told her tale to younger children in 2009’s Ruby Bridges Goes to School, but here the sensibility is more personal, and the sometimes-shocking historical photos have been replaced by uplifting painted scenes. “I didn’t find out what being ‘the first’ really meant until the day I arrived at this new school,” she writes. Unfrightened by the crowd of “screaming white people” that greets her at the school’s door (she thinks it’s like Mardi Gras) but surprised to find herself the only child in her classroom, and even the entire building, she gradually realizes the significance of her act as (in Smith’s illustration) she compares a small personal photo to the all-White class photos posted on a bulletin board and sees the difference. As she reflects on her new understanding, symbolic scenes first depict other dark-skinned children marching into classes in her wake to friendly greetings from lighter-skinned classmates (“School is just school,” she sensibly concludes, “and kids are just kids”) and finally an image of the bright-eyed icon posed next to a soaring bridge of reconciliation. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era. (author and illustrator notes, glossary) (Autobiographical picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-75388-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
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