Evocative description intertwines with joyful illustration in an imagined day in the life of a young artist.
An artist awakens into her dreams.
The oldest girl in the Wyeth family, Henriette, daughter of illustrator N.C. and sister of painters Andrew and Carolyn, was a recognized and talented artist (landscapes and portraiture) in her own right. This lyrical selection offers a vivid portrayal of an imagined day in which the young girl and her father drift across the land around their home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, painting, thinking, and musing on some technical and more ethereal aspects of art as they go. Warm, glowing images depict the painters at work as well as the rolling landscapes and sky that some may recognize from N.C.’s and Andrew’s paintings while the poetic text delves deep into Henriette’s imagination and includes ideas and descriptions from the writings of Henriette and her father. The fact that her experiences and successes were unusual for a woman of her time goes unmentioned. Nevertheless, this quiet yet joyful selection is both inviting and inspiring, and it will resonate with budding artists. Dreamlike and sparkling stream-of-consciousness writing brings to mind Virginia Woolf—and for Henriette, the outdoors clearly provided a room of her own. There is a lone photo of Henriette and a reproduction of a still life in the endnotes along with notes from both author and illustrator. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-23-inch double-page spreads viewed at 58.6% of actual size.)
Evocative description intertwines with joyful illustration in an imagined day in the life of a young artist. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-951836-04-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D.
Breakout kid barber J.D. embraces a summer of opportunity.
Readers met J.D. Jones just as he took his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, by storm, winning himself community acclaim and a chair at the revered Hart and Sons barbershop in series opener J.D. and the Great Barber Battle(2021). What’s next for the haircut prodigy? School’s just getting out, and there’s so much life happening outside—if only one can escape home learning with the grandparents. J.D.’s sister, Vanessa, brings along multitalented mutual friend Jessyka to share an ambitious challenge: “Let’s start a YouTube channel!” Can they get millions of views and wow the whole world? They are already amazing at haircuts and hairstyles—all they need is to learn how to make a great YouTube video. The story models strategies for scripting short videos reflecting the templates of viral YouTube hair tutorials, inviting readers to not only see the journey of the characters, but maybe also practice these skills at home. This book is bound to educate all about some of the most storied and cherished traditions within the Black community. Bringing in Vanessa is a great touch to extend the series across gender, and hopefully she’ll get a chance to lead her own adventures. This book blends skill-building, entrepreneurship, and strong family values to give young Black children visions of what’s possible when they follow their passions and embrace their community.
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11155-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Long-winded but uplifting nonetheless.
Comedian, singer, and YouTube star Rainbow urges readers not to let others dim their light.
Young Randy Rainbow lives life out loud. While his classmates wear “dull blue jeans and drab T-shirts,” he sports “brightly colored three-piece suits and sparkly bow ties,” paints his nails, and listens to Broadway albums. After being called a “weirdo” at school, he tries to tamp down his sparkly side. While helping his grandmother sort through some of her old belongings, he stumbles across a pair of magical cat-eye glasses that, according to Nanny, allow whoever puts them on to “be anything and anywhere [they] want.” After rocking the glasses at school and a number of other locations, Randy becomes popular and confident, but when he breaks them on the way to a birthday party, he’s despondent. Nanny reveals that the glasses never had any powers; the magic was in Randy all along. While the message about being true to oneself is an important one, the unevenly paced, wordy text often tells more than it shows. At times it feels as though the author’s trying to pad out a somewhat thin story; multiple examples of Randy sporting his new specs in a variety of scenarios drag quite a bit. Swirls of pink feature prominently in MacGibbon’s cartoon illustrations. Randy and Nanny are pale-skinned; hints in the text suggest that they may be Jewish.
Long-winded but uplifting nonetheless. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781250900777
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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