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IN THE BLUE

Sensitive, honest, and expertly done.

A family comes to terms with depression.

A dad teaches his daughter how to surf in the ocean. He is “as tall as the sky,” and she is “his teeny-tiny sunspot.” He usually sings to her in the morning and tucks her in at night. “But right now, things for my dad aren’t bright and yellow. They are a deep, dark blue,” the girl reveals. Shrouded in cobalt shadow on the verso, the father hangs his head while the girl and (presumably) her mother look on worriedly from the sunny recto. Readers learn that when the father is “in the blue,” his “kisses don’t reach as far at night, and the morning is quiet and dim.” The girl tries in vain to cheer him up. All her family can do is “wait together in the blue” until he is ready to get help. They all see a Black therapist—“someone who knows all the colors, from sunny to midnight”—and Dad is shown buying medicine from a White pharmacist. After some time, Dad grows “bright and yellow again,” and the father-daughter surfing adventures resume. The power of Hourigan’s metaphorical yet crystal-clear portrayal of depression lies in its simple but impressively evocative use of color symbolism. The acrylic gouache and color pencil illustrations are suffused with primary colors that convey misery, joy, and anger and that sometimes blend, creating secondary colors that signify the many moods, faces, and grades of depression. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sensitive, honest, and expertly done. (author's note, resources) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 3, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-316-49762-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022

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WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.

All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.

Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)

Pub Date: May 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

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THE MAGICAL YET

A solid if message-driven conversation starter about the hard parts of learning.

Children realize their dreams one step at a time in this story about growth mindset.

A child crashes and damages a new bicycle on a dark, rainy day. Attempting a wheelie, the novice cyclist falls onto the sidewalk, grimacing, and, having internalized this setback as failure, vows to never ride again but to “walk…forever.” Then the unnamed protagonist happens upon a glowing orb in the forest, a “thought rearranger-er”—a luminous pink fairy called the Magical Yet. This Yet reminds the child of past accomplishments and encourages perseverance. The second-person rhyming couplets remind readers that mistakes are part of learning and that with patience and effort, children can achieve. Readers see the protagonist learn to ride the bike before a flash-forward shows the child as a capable college graduate confidently designing a sleek new bike. This book shines with diversity: racial, ethnic, ability, and gender. The gender-indeterminate protagonist has light brown skin and exuberant curly locks; Amid the bustling secondary cast, one child uses a prosthesis, and another wears hijab. At no point in the text is the Yet defined as a metaphor for a growth mindset; adults reading with younger children will likely need to clarify this abstract lesson. The artwork is powerful and detailed—pay special attention to the endpapers that progress to show the Yet at work.

A solid if message-driven conversation starter about the hard parts of learning. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 14, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-368-02562-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion/LBYR

Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020

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