Celebrates girls’ resilience, courage, and initiative.
In this translated import from France, profiles of five fictional girls describe struggles with societal norms and introduce critical gender-related issues.
In a village in Nepal, menstrual taboos exile Kaneila to a distant, doorless hut during her period, leaving her vulnerable to wild animals and sexual assault and banning her from attending school. Even as she questions these superstitions, a biology student from a village that’s discarded this custom comes to educate her class about female physiology, inspiring Kaneila to want to empower other girls. Dussutour then explains how “periods are political,” describing initiatives and challenges worldwide. In France, Jade is fat-shamed by her mother, doctor, classmates, and strangers. She’s humiliated and confused by media messages, but support from her sister and a friend who’s experienced racism help her focus on her body’s strength and share her feelings with her family. The author covers body positivity, the negative toll of diet culture, the prevalence of eating disorders, and related topics. Other chapters talk about Afghanistan (Mahnoosh dresses as a boy so she can have freedom of movement), Kenya (Makena flees female genital mutilation to live in a matriarchal community with her sister), and Mexico (Luisa copes with sexual harassment in public and at school, and her sister becomes a victim of domestic violence). Saturated, vibrantly colored illustrations highlight the girls and symbolic items in their lives. The book celebrates those who are working for change from within their cultures.
Celebrates girls’ resilience, courage, and initiative. (resources, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781459838987
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
Congolese-American Sophie makes a harrowing trek through a war-torn jungle to protect a young bonobo.
On her way to spend the summer at the bonobo sanctuary her mother runs, 14-year-old Sophie rescues a sickly baby bonobo from a trafficker. Though her Congolese mother is not pleased Sophie paid for the ape, she is proud that Sophie works to bond with Otto, the baby. A week before Sophie's to return home to her father in Miami, her mother must take advantage
of a charter flight to relocate some apes, and she leaves Sophie with Otto and the sanctuary workers. War breaks out, and after missing a U.N. flight out, Sophie must hide herself and Otto from violent militants and starving villagers. Unable to take Otto out of the country, she decides finding her mother hundreds of miles to the north is her only choice. Schrefer jumps from his usual teen suspense to craft this well-researched tale of jungle survival set during a fictional conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Realistic characters (ape and human) deal with disturbing situations described in graphic, but never gratuitous detail. The lessons Sophie learns about her childhood home, love and what it means to be endangered will resonate with readers.
Even if some hairbreadth escapes test credulity, this is a great next read for fans of our nearest ape cousins or survival adventure. (map, author's note, author Q&A) (Adventure. 12-16)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-16576-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
Best for nostalgic Scarry fans.
Culling from vintage Golden Books, this work repurposes Richard Scarry’s illustrations as life lessons.
Standing in for the humans whose roles they embody, genial animals engage in domestic chores, flounder through cheerfully chaotic adventures, and weather comical disasters. Members of a bunny family make breakfast, get dressed, and brush their teeth (“Greet the morning with joy!”), a warthog tackles bedhead, and an earthworm makes a bed. The art lightens the effect of many vague, imperative instructions (“Be helpful!”, “Save your money”), while the ensemble scenes of merrymaking and mayhem show Scarry at his best. Although the animal antics add interest to the bland, greeting-card platitudes (“Discover your own style,” “Appreciate beauty, and fill your life with art!”), some of the messaging feels contradictory. Two impeccably attired bunnies illustrate “Dress to impress!” Meanwhile, on a tropical beach, monkeys, jaguars, a crocodile, a toucan, a sloth, an ostrich, an anteater, and others “dance like no one is watching, even when they are.” Most of the selected art dates from the 1950s to the 1970s, and some of the messaging reflects the era. “Don’t be too hard on yourself” accompanies a dismayed, rotund pig on bathroom scales, bursting out of its pajamas, while slender animals on the facing page embody healthful exercise. (“Keep fit!”, “Have you tried yoga?”). The adult male-presenting figures often appear in active, public, or professional roles, while most of the adult female-presenting characters are caregivers or passive recipients of male attention.
Best for nostalgic Scarry fans. (Self-help. 12-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798217125319
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Golden Books/Random
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
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