An accessible, validating narrative about the impact of incarceration within families.
A child lives far apart from their incarcerated older brother.
The narrator peers into their older brother’s empty bedroom with a despondent look. “Sometimes I stand in his quiet room and pretend he’s not really gone.” Grappling with the weight of his incarceration amid questions from curious classmates, the child experiences anger, embarrassment, and pain. But their bond is a strong one, and memories remind the protagonist of happier times: a contented smile as the pair snuggled up and read together, arms flung wide with joy during starlit strolls together. The juxtaposition of these different sentiments helps to illuminate the narrator’s reality, particularly when they and their parents make the long drive to see the child’s brother in prison. When they finally reconnect with a warm embrace, the main character realizes that other kids are also in the visiting room, reuniting with their incarcerated family members. Greenwood (who in an author’s note says that she grew up with an incarcerated brother) describes these experiences in simple, poignant language ideal for a range of readers. Also noteworthy is Uribe’s moving artwork; both detailed and restrained, the illustrations bolster the sensitive plot. In the author’s note, Greenwood offers readers reassurance: “If someone you love is in prison, I want you to know you aren’t alone, either.” The child and their family are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An accessible, validating narrative about the impact of incarceration within families. (Picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-12716-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
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
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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