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I DREAM OF POPO

Name: I DREAM OF POPO
Author: Livia Blackburne
ISBN: 978-1-250-24931-9

by Livia Blackburne ; illustrated by Julia Kuo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 5, 2021

#Ownvoices tributes to childhood memories of home: It is as much an emotional space as a physical place.

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A picture book centering a young emigrant’s journey as well as her homecoming.

Unlike conventional or traditional narratives that launch immigrant characters on one-way passages and their accompanying plots along linear trajectories, this focused family story illustrates modern migration by choice as an evolving tale of round trips through conscious reconnections with one’s origins. The young protagonist moves from Taiwan to San Diego and learns English at school while staying connected with Popo, the grandmother who stayed in Taiwan, via video chats. As time passes, linguistic barriers blur along with ongoing transitions between cultures and geographies: A once-fluent vernacular recedes to accommodate new sounds and expressions until the child even dreams of Popo speaking English. Sympathetic, gentle treatments of aging and illness convey life’s inevitabilities with a loving imagination steeped in the scent of sweet osmanthus. Faithful representations of Chinese-language signage, street scenes, and cityscapes evoke nostalgia for those familiar with Taiwan and its vibrant food culture. Whimsical depictions of Chinese New Year at home and Popo’s kitchen are authentic, down to the accurate details on a calendar, dumpling making from scratch, and the iconic rice cooker. Readers will connect with this visual story on various levels or learn something new; possibly both. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

#Ownvoices tributes to childhood memories of home: It is as much an emotional space as a physical place. (author’s note, illustrator’s note, glossary) (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-250-24931-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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DREAMS TO ASHES
by Livia Blackburne ; illustrated by Nicole Xu

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CLEMENTINE AND DANNY SAVE THE WORLD (AND EACH OTHER)
by Livia Blackburne

- BOOK REVIEW
FEATHER AND FLAME
by Livia Blackburne

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IMANI'S MOON

by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Hazel Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

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Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)