A beautifully bold dedication to Black greatness.
A celebration of Pan-African achievement that spans much of the continent and its pre-colonial history.
In this tribute to Africa before the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Bradley relies on vivid digital illustrations to highlight brightly textured indigo seas, lush scenes of regal leaders striking commanding poses as giraffes roam nearby, and warm, high-rising structures of worship. The accompanying narration uses prose and verse to superb effect to establish imagery of emerging civilizations, thriving communities, and wondrous accomplishments. Centering an audience of brown readers, Oso emphasizes that “in Africa, we were royalty, / reigning, ruling entire empires. / Kings and queens of great renown / in shades of brown—just like you.” Bradley imbues each movement with a gentle intimacy, whether depicting great warriors of Carthage and Kush, griots passing down stories, or youngsters sketching constellations in the sands of the Sahara, “our magical minds uncovering the mysteries of the galaxy.” Oso connects it all to the modern-day diaspora: “Here we stand, after the ships, / as amazing as we’ve always been.” In an author’s note, she emphasizes the importance of learning about the history of Black peoples apart from slavery and colonialism—a subject that far too often goes unacknowledged in textbooks. This enchanting picture book thoughtfully fills that gap.
A beautifully bold dedication to Black greatness. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781338849974
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Enthusiastic and direct, this paean has a lovely ring to it.
Former National Youth Poet Laureate Gorman invites girls to raise their voices and make a difference.
“Today, we finally have a say,” proclaims the first-person plural narration as three girls (one presents Black, another is brown-skinned, and the third is light-skinned) pass one another marshmallows on a stick around a campfire. In Wise’s textured, almost three-dimensional illustrations, the trio traverse fantastical, often abstract landscapes, playing, demonstrating, eating, and even flying, while confident rhymes sing their praises and celebrate collective female victories. The phrase “LIBERATION. FREEDOM. RESPECT” appears on a protest sign that bookends their journey. Simple and accessible, the rhythmic visual storytelling presents an optimistic vision of young people working toward a better world. Sometimes family members or other diverse comrades surround the girls, emphasizing that power comes from community. Gorman is careful to specify that “some of us go by she / And some of us go by they.” She affirms, too, that each person is “a different shape and size,” though the art doesn’t show much variation in body type. Characters also vary in ability. Real-life figures emerge as the girls dream of past luminaries such as author Octavia Butler and activist Marsha P. Johnson, along with present-day role models including poet and journalist Plestia Alaqad and athlete Sha’carri Richardson; silhouettes stand in for heroines as yet unknown. Imagining that “we are where change is going” is hopeful indeed.
Enthusiastic and direct, this paean has a lovely ring to it. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593624180
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Lovely illustrations wasted on this misguided project.
The Celebrate the World series spotlights Lunar New Year.
This board book blends expository text and first-person-plural narrative, introducing readers to the holiday. Chau’s distinctive, finely textured watercolor paintings add depth, transitioning smoothly from a grand cityscape to the dining room table, from fantasies of the past to dumplings of the present. The text attempts to provide a broad look at the subject, including other names for the celebration, related cosmology, and historical background, as well as a more-personal discussion of traditions and practices. Yet it’s never clear who the narrator is—while the narrative indicates the existence of some consistent, monolithic group who participates in specific rituals of celebration (“Before the new year celebrations begin, we clean our homes—and ourselves!”), the illustrations depict different people in every image. Indeed, observances of Lunar New Year are as diverse as the people who celebrate it, which neither the text nor the images—all of the people appear to be Asian—fully acknowledges. Also unclear is the book’s intended audience. With large blocks of explication on every spread, it is entirely unappealing for the board-book set, and the format may make it equally unattractive to an older, more appropriate audience. Still, readers may appreciate seeing an important celebration warmly and vibrantly portrayed.
Lovely illustrations wasted on this misguided project. (Board book. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3303-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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