A beautiful vision of a global community.
A classic spiritual gets a brand-new twist in this oversized picture book by López in which diverse children share a glorious, colorful world of nature.
From windows in a patchwork globe on the cover, children reach out, smiling. A multicolored yarn loops and stretches, leading off the cover page and into the book. The yarn lands in a ball at the feet of a girl against a white background. She fills her arms with it as the words begin: “We’ve got the whole world in our hands.” She then lets the yarn fly upward, and the loops continue across the spread, where other children smile and reach up toward it. As the pages progress, more and more children reach out their hands to “hold” the ever deepening landscape around them (“We’ve got the sun and the rain in our hands. / We’ve got the moon and the stars in our hands”). Deserts, forests, mountains, oceans, and all sorts of wildlife appear as children of various skin tones, hair textures, and attire follow the colored yarn; one child who uses a wheelchair appears in the first few pages but then disappears. The children begin to play with the yarn and with one another, until the children and animals, backgrounded by landmarks from different parts of the world, share one page, then fly off together in a hot air balloon. This unconventional interpretation of the classic song finds a modern application with joyful illustrations that send a message of hope and power to today’s children. A bilingual English/Spanish edition publishes simultaneously.
A beautiful vision of a global community. (Picture book. 2-8)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-17736-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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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