A timely book to combat stereotypes and encourage the celebration of skin colors of Black and brown people.
A colorfully whimsical perspective on just how varied skin tones can be in a single Black family.
In this rhyming picture book, the protagonist describes the skin color of the whole family: mama, daddy, brother, sister, auntie, uncle, cousins, and grandparents. Some of these skin tones resemble copper, desert sand, and polished pine, and the narrator likens nearly half of the colors to flavorful foods such as chocolate, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Each double-page spread features two lines of simple verse on one side and a watercolor portrait of one of the family members on the other side, set against a white background. In most of the portraits, the relative looks straight out at readers, providing a direct visual address that invites readers to see and appreciate brown skin of many hues. “Auntie’s brown is desert sand, / Moving with the wind. // Uncle’s brown like coffee beans, / A dark and fragrant blend.” The last page of the story includes an illustrated list of all of the skin colors, and these swatches of color also appear on the cover and title page, surrounding a heart, which encourages appreciation of many shades of pigment, from brown to butterscotch. The variations in characters’ facial features also emphasize, like those in Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal’s Native American story Fry Bread (2019), that immediate family members can look quite different but still belong together. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-15-inch double-page spreads viewed at 50.2% of actual size.)
A timely book to combat stereotypes and encourage the celebration of skin colors of Black and brown people. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-944903-98-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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