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HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS

Name: HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS
Author: Emily Dickinson
ISBN: 9781951836948

From the Petite Poems series

by Emily Dickinson ; illustrated by Tatyana Feeney ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2024

Visually appealing but, without adult intervention, likely to leave little ones perplexed.

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Hope is what we all desire.

In the first stanza of this poem, Dickinson calls hope “the thing with feathers”; she extends the metaphor by referring to hope perching and describes it singing “the tune without the words.” The second stanza leaves no doubt of the poet’s intent; here, she refers to hope as “the little bird.” Children who read or listen to the poem will understand that referent; whether they’ll comprehend the overall poem isn’t clear. Depicting birds and birdhouses, the illustrations won’t leave young readers’ interpretations to chance. Many young people appreciate Dickinson’s poetry, though some readers may find her work abstruse or ethereal. What are we to make of this book? The airy illustrations, created with various printmaking techniques, with added colored pencils later combined digitally, are charming; children viewing them would enjoy frolicking with these kids and birds. The art’s as delicate as Dickinson’s verse, although words such as abash and extremity and phrases such as “sweetest in the gale is heard” and “sore must be the storm” may not be as lucid or meaningful to children as they are to adults. The poem is reprinted in full at book’s end. Characters have skin the white of the page.

Visually appealing but, without adult intervention, likely to leave little ones perplexed. (Picture book. 5-9)

Pub Date: March 19, 2024

ISBN: 9781951836948

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Cameron Kids

Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S POETRY

- BOOK REVIEW
HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS
by Emily Dickinson ; illustrated by Tim Hopgood

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ILLUSTRATED EMILY DICKINSON
by Emily Dickinson ; edited by Ryan G. Van Cleave

- BOOK REVIEW
EMILY DICKINSON
by Emily Dickinson ; edited by Susan Snively ; illustrated by Christine Davenier

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LITTLE DAYMOND LEARNS TO EARN

by Daymond John ; illustrated by Nicole Miles ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2023

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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A BIKE LIKE SERGIO'S

by Maribeth Boelts ; illustrated by Noah Z. Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2016

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...

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Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.

This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)