A moving and captivating civics lesson.
LaRocca lovingly traces the path to U.S. citizenship.
“Some of us are born American. Some choose,” the author proclaims as Lee introduces a diverse, smiling crowd of people dressed in red, white, and blue. As the narrative unfolds, adults and children alike make different journeys from far-flung places. Artful and versatile image compositions integrate American symbols, making for an accessible work that’s nevertheless imbued with a sense of grandeur. Optimism abounds, but both author and illustrator laudably acknowledge, too, the grim realities confronted by many immigrants. “Some of us are invited to study or work,” LaRocca notes on a page featuring labeled headshots of Flossie Wong-Staal, I.M. Pei, Jesús Ferreira, and Rihanna. “Some flee war, oppression, poverty,” she declares on a more somber page on which a dark-skinned hand grasps barbed wire. One busy spread portrays an urban neighborhood full of ethnic eateries, while another shows families praying inside eight different houses of worship—a pleasing, symmetrical snapshot of peaceful coexistence. After immigrants vow to defend the Constitution and become citizens, they “can fully participate in the governing of the country [they] love.” Finally, as fireworks explode, they cheer: “We are all American.” This is a remarkably nuanced ode to immigrants and to citizenship, capped by thoughtful backmatter that balances patriotism with critique about historical immigration laws rooted in prejudice.
A moving and captivating civics lesson. (author’s note, photograph, United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9780316571753
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet and endearing feathered migration.
A relationship between a Latina grandmother and her mixed-race granddaughter serves as the frame to depict the ruby-throated hummingbird migration pattern.
In Granny’s lap, a girl is encouraged to “keep still” as the intergenerational pair awaits the ruby-throated hummingbirds with bowls of water in their hands. But like the granddaughter, the tz’unun—“the word for hummingbird in several [Latin American] languages”—must soon fly north. Over the next several double-page spreads, readers follow the ruby-throated hummingbird’s migration pattern from Central America and Mexico through the United States all the way to Canada. Davies metaphorically reunites the granddaughter and grandmother when “a visitor from Granny’s garden” crosses paths with the girl in New York City. Ray provides delicately hashed lines in the illustrations that bring the hummingbirds’ erratic flight pattern to life as they travel north. The watercolor palette is injected with vibrancy by the addition of gold ink, mirroring the hummingbirds’ flashing feathers in the slants of light. The story is supplemented by notes on different pages with facts about the birds such as their nest size, diet, and flight schedule. In addition, a note about ruby-throated hummingbirds supplies readers with detailed information on how ornithologists study and keep track of these birds.
A sweet and endearing feathered migration. (bibliography, index) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0538-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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