A heartwarming story, if a bit short on cuddles.
A fictionalized biography of “one of the most endearing companions of modern times.”
On a trip to Mississippi, President Theodore Roosevelt went hunting, but the only bear he came across was “one scruffy, no-account cub,” and the president certainly couldn’t shoot it. “I’d never be able to look my children in the eyes again!” But even though T.R. didn’t snag a bear, the newspapers got a story, and the Washington Post ran a Clifford Berryman cartoon that got the attention of Morris and Rose Michtom, who owned a little novelty shop in Brooklyn. To honor the president’s “big warm heart,” Mrs. Michtom created a bear sewn together out of scrap materials. She stuffed it with fine wood shavings, sewed on shoe buttons for eyes, and stitched a little black nose with darning thread. They placed “Teddy’s Bear” in the shop window, and soon it seemed as if everyone in America was buying teddy bears. “I think the reason kids love teddy bears so much is that they’re so darn cuddly,” said Mr. Michtom. However, the digitally rendered illustrations of the bears make them seem more flat and untextured than cuddly. Otherwise, though, the match of cartoonish illustrations and clear text works well in creating a solid, upbeat account. The author’s note mostly retells the story and discusses where “pleasant speculation” was blended with the factual record. Characters depicted all seem to be white.
A heartwarming story, if a bit short on cuddles. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77138-795-8
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
A good-enough introduction to a contested festivity but one that’s not in step with the community it’s for.
An overview of the modern African-American holiday.
This book arrives at a time when black people in the United States have had intraracial—some serious, some snarky—conversations about Kwanzaa’s relevance nowadays, from its patchwork inspiration that flattens the cultural diversity of the African continent to a single festive story to, relatedly, the earnest blacker-than-thou pretentiousness surrounding it. Both the author and consultant Keith A. Mayes take great pains—and in painfully simplistic language—to provide a context that attempts to refute the internal arguments as much as it informs its intended audience. In fact, Mayes says in the endnotes that young people are Kwanzaa’s “largest audience and most important constituents” and further extends an invitation to all races and ages to join the winter celebration. However, his “young people represent the future” counterpoint—and the book itself—really responds to an echo of an argument, as black communities have moved the conversation out to listen to African communities who critique the holiday’s loose “African-ness” and deep American-ness and moved on to commemorate holidays that have a more historical base in black people’s experiences in the United States, such as Juneteenth. In this context, the explications of Kwanzaa’s principles and symbols and the smattering of accompanying activities feel out of touch.
A good-enough introduction to a contested festivity but one that’s not in step with the community it’s for. (resources, bibliography, glossary, afterword) (Nonfiction. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4263-2849-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2017
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
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