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PIGS CAN'T LOOK UP

Name: PIGS CAN'T LOOK UP
Author: Vincent D’Onofrio
ISBN: 9781951836757

by Vincent D’Onofrio ; illustrated by Shelly Cunningham ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 16, 2023

A tender tale with a reminder to look up and all around us.

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A whimsical yet poignant tweet by actor D’Onofrio that went viral in 2019 is the basis for this picture book.

Fact: Pigs can’t look up at the sky. Their neck muscles and spines are built such that their head movements are limited, though they can look up to an extent—e.g., if their heads are tilted. This reality lies at the heart of this minimally worded book in which a brown-skinned girl rigs up a contraption to lift her beloved pet pig, enabling it to see the stars. Girl and pig even become constellations. The girl declares she wants to be treated “that kindly and see the stars for the first time.” We get a sense she means more than literally viewing stars. This is confirmed by the author’s note, in which D’Onofrio talks about “small acts of kindness” and acknowledges people who helped him “broaden my narrow view of what I might be capable of.” He asks: “How do we look beyond ourselves? This girl and this pig only had to look up.” What he and this gentle, thought-provoking book suggest is that we become “stars” if we look around us and notice others who might need us. Adults sharing this book should solicit such ideas from children—as well as additional ways to get pigs to look up. Cunningham’s delicate illustrations are moving and lovely. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A tender tale with a reminder to look up and all around us. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: May 16, 2023

ISBN: 9781951836757

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Cameron Kids

Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S POETRY

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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A LIBRARY

by Nikki Giovanni ; illustrated by Erin K. Robinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 2022

A lushly illustrated homage to librarians who provide a welcome and a home away from home for all who enter.

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A love letter to libraries.

A Black child, with hair in two puffballs tied with yellow ribbons, a blue dress with a Peter Pan collar, and black patent leather Mary Janes, helps Grandmother with the housework, then, at Grandmother’s suggestion, heads to the library. The child’s eagerness to go, with two books under an arm and one in their hand, suggests that this is a favorite destination. The books’ wordless covers emphasize their endless possibilities. The protagonist’s description of the library makes clear that they are always free to be themselves there—whether they feel happy or sad, whether they’re reading mysteries or recipes, and whether they feel “quick and smart” or “contained and cautious.” Robinson’s vibrant, carefully composed digital illustrations, with bright colors that invite readers in and textures and patterns in every image, effectively capture the protagonist’s passion for reading and appreciation for a space where they feel accepted regardless of disposition. In her author’s note, Giovanni states that she spent summers visiting her grandmother in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she went to the Carnegie Branch of the Lawson McGhee Library. She expresses gratitude for Mrs. Long, the librarian, who often traveled to the main library to get books that Giovanni could not find in their segregated branch. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A lushly illustrated homage to librarians who provide a welcome and a home away from home for all who enter. (Picture book. 4-7)