This inspirational story fails to inspire.
Shy 5-year-old Leticia wants to be on TV, but no one on the screen looks like her.
Having come from Mexico, her parents know the value of education to achieve success, and they encourage their daughter to work hard in school to overcome her shyness and to go to college in order to pursue her goal of becoming a news anchor. After earning an internship at a Sacramento news outfit, Leticia knows that newscasting is her dream job. She endures years of writing her own scripts and shooting her own stories until the day she’s been waiting for finally arrives: Channel 3 Sacramento hires her as a news reporter. She did it! Unfortunately, Ordaz’s uninspired text results in a dispassionate catalog of her achievements, from convincing her father to get another job so she could be fitted with orthodontic braces to landing the coveted anchor position during her pregnancy. There is little emotional engagement. The dearth of examples of personal growth and the surmounting of obstacles—such as learning English as a child and achieving success in a predominantly White industry on her own merits—means there is little tension in the story. Colombian artist Calle’s illustrations, cartoonish with exaggerated eyes, only serve to widen the emotional distance between subject and readers. The absence of autobiographical backmatter further lessens the value of this latest addition to the documentation of the achievements of people of color in the U.S.
This inspirational story fails to inspire. (glossary) (Picture book/memoir. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-59702-151-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Immedium
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
A brief but sweet snapshot of an inspiring girl who finds hope in song.
Through the power of music, Lucimarian Tolliver is reminded of what’s important.
Lucy is one of the only children of African descent on her block—called Lucy Street—in 1930s Akron, Ohio, but all her neighbors share one commonality: poverty. Lucy’s carefree spirit is dampened when her family’s furniture is repossessed one day. She visits her grandfather, who comforts her by singing the folk standard “This Little Light of Mine.” Grandpa tells Lucy that she’s destined for greatness and that she should never stop singing, even through life’s toughest moments. Back at home, Lucy’s father scolds her for singing at the dinner table, so she quickly finishes eating and wanders outside and sings into the night. Her voice reaches her family and neighbors, who are all touched by her song. Digital illustrations evoke the time period in muted tones, featuring endearing characters with simple yet expressive features. The visual subject matter is repetitive from page to page, as are the incorporated lyrics of “This Little Light of Mine.” Based on Lucimarian Tolliver’s experiences growing up during the Depression, the text contains an epilogue but lacks backmatter detailing historical context or more information about Lucy’s life. Though the themes of optimism and the importance of family, faith, and music shine through the text, readers may be left with more questions than answers.
A brief but sweet snapshot of an inspiring girl who finds hope in song. (Picture-book biography. 5-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780063222540
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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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