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ME AND THE BOSS

A STORY ABOUT MENDING AND LOVE

Though simple, a gorgeous, powerful exploration of a loving sibling relationship.

A young Black boy discovers the joy of sewing on a trip to the local library with his big sister.

It’s clear why 6-year-old Lee calls his elder sister, Zora, the boss. Zora embodies confidence: She gives directions to Lee and others and enforces the rules they must both follow when out and about away from home. One day, Lee walks with Zora to a local library, where they are taught to sew. Zora takes to sewing easily, while Lee struggles to avoid pricking himself with the needle and to create what he desires. When the children return home, Zora proudly shows her creation to their parents, but Lee chooses to wait to show them his work. Later that night, awakened by a noise and unable to sleep, Lee practices sewing in the quiet of his bed and completes the craft from earlier in the day, developing a useful skill that later ushers in a tender moment between him and the boss. Appropriately reminiscent of textiles, the collage, acrylic, pen, and pencil illustrations consist of a variety of vibrant hues. The imagery offers depth, texture, and movement, complementing the vivid and engrossing text and bringing to life the strong bond between Lee and Zora. Lee’s family is Black; the other kids at the library are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Though simple, a gorgeous, powerful exploration of a loving sibling relationship. (instructions for making Lee's Smiling Moon) (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-31067-0

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random

Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022

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CLAYMATES

The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...

Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.

A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.

The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: June 20, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017

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SNOW PLACE LIKE HOME

From the Diary of an Ice Princess series

A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.

Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.

The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.

A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)

Pub Date: June 25, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019

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