An illuminating tale of the love and care that go into creating this East African garment.
The journey of an Ethiopian garment, from the literal seeds of its inception all the way to the people who wear it proudly.
The Gabi, defined in the glossary as “a multilayered traditional Ethiopian cloth,” starts out as cottonseed sown into the rich brown earth. Rich digital illustrations show the cotton sprouting and growing, a farmer plucking fluffy white fibers from the plant, and shemanes (the Amharic word for weavers) working the heddles and wooden treadles of the looms to produce workable textiles. Cumulative verse, similar to “The House That Jack Built,” shows what a slow—but meaningful—process it is (“This is the cottonseed, oval and slight…to sprout the Gabi that Girma wore”). As the Gabi takes shape, with an amber and burgundy border woven into the white fabric, rhyming narration thoughtfully emphasizes the “brightness and light” that decorate the garment. At the marketplace, the Gabi sits alongside other wares before being bought by a woman named Genet, who gives it to a man named Girma. The authors place this purchase into cultural context, making it clear how important it is to Girma; he wears his Gabi on festive occasions and at church on Christmas and Easter, and he and a whole family of smiling and loving faces snuggle up under it on the couch.
An illuminating tale of the love and care that go into creating this East African garment. (authors’ note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780316470773
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
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