A poetic and colorful celebration of a specific yet universal story.
A small child and their family leave their Caribbean home for a new life in England.
Symbols of island life such as palm trees and seabirds swirl around to bid farewell and even question why the child and their family are going. The child remembers a promise to their grandmother to write as well as her comforting goodbye hug. Once the family arrives, the child’s letter to her shares their shipboard experience and how they are coping in their new home. After the protagonist recovers from so much time at sea, their descriptions are full of optimism as they acclimate to a new—and vastly different—land. Award-winning poet Agard depicts just one example of the journeys taken by the Windrush Generation, those who traveled by ship from Caribbean countries to Great Britain between 1948 and 1971 (the first of those voyages was on the ship Empire Windrush). By centering the lyrical narrative on a young child, he aptly demonstrates both the difficulties and possibilities that immigrant families encounter—one that speaks both to the Windrush story and to the immigration experience in general. Bass’ vibrant gouache-and-pen illustrations enhance the text and add to the storytelling in unique ways, making it clear that the new residents bring a valuable perspective to their new homes. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A poetic and colorful celebration of a specific yet universal story. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2853-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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