A warmhearted story that helps kids appreciate cultural complexities and values.
Visiting relatives in the Marshall Islands, an American boy must decide whether to save an endangered animal.
David is excited about visiting his mother’s family in the Marshall Islands, a freely associated state of the United States, for his great-grandfather’s birthday. He can’t wait to meet his cousin Betra and hopes to glimpse a sea turtle. Much surprises David about the islands; there are no jungles, for example, and no hula dancers. The islanders’ clothes are simple, sometimes ragged; Betra’s family lives in a tiny house with walls of woven palm mats. David’s relatives teach him new skills, like fishing and climbing a palm tree for coconuts. He helps catch a sea turtle but is horrified to learn it’s intended for Grandfather’s birthday feast, protesting, “These animals are endangered. If we kill them to eat, they will all be gone soon!” The night before the feast, David has a difficult choice to make: make his family angry or free the turtle. In his debut children’s book, Hubbs provides a well-balanced story that considers cultural differences and similarities. David realizes that “the poorest people that he knew in America were rich compared to his cousins,” but he also appreciates their wealth of knowledge about island life. Wisely, Hubbs doesn’t present the Marshall Islanders as a monolith; David’s cousin and uncle see turtle meat as “a very important part of our culture” and “a great way to honor Grandfather”—but in Grandfather’s own view, “Times have changed and we must change also.” The lively illustrations by Lydia and Isaia of Worlds Beyond Art, who previously contributed to the Hawaii-set Puanani and the Volcano (2020), show medium- to dark-brown–skinned characters and capture the turtle’s beauty well.
A warmhearted story that helps kids appreciate cultural complexities and values. (reading comprehension questions, glossary)Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-949711-37-0
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Bluewater Publications
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
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