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THE PIRATE TREE

Name: THE PIRATE TREE
Author: Brigita Orel
ISBN: 978-1-911373-87-2

by Brigita Orel ; illustrated by Jennie Poh ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

Uplifting and perspective-bestowing.

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This is the story of Sam and Agu, two friends and wannabe pirates whose imaginations turn a knobbly tree in the hills into a pirate ship, with a rope serving as an anchor and a white sheet as a sail.

At first, Sam, a girl with pale skin and straight, black hair, is all alone playing captain in her imaginary ship, but she is soon joined by Agu, a young boy who has freshly arrived from Nigeria. She ignores his approach at first and is reluctant to have him onboard “her” ship given that she doesn’t know him and that he is not “from her street.” She is quick, however, to take interest in his foreign origin and, above all, his knowledge of boats, being that he was actually onboard a real ship, sailing over a real ocean, traveling out of Nigeria. The pair strikes up and cherishes an unlikely friendship, embarking on all sorts of adventures—battling imaginary storms and fighting other make-believe pirates...all before dinnertime. The book, albeit with a somewhat naïve and oversimplified plot, is a tribute to friendships built between protagonists of diverse origins yet with shared interests in common. Uncomplicated and colorful illustrations on two-page spreads do justice to a simple yet inspiring narrative, visually incorporating elements of their creative play.

Uplifting and perspective-bestowing. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-911373-87-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Lantana

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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IMANI'S MOON

by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Hazel Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

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Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Mackinac Island Press

Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Tamisha Anthony

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by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Olivia Amoah

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MAHOGANY
by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by John Joven

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CLAYMATES

by Dev Petty ; illustrated by Lauren Eldridge ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2017

The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...

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Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.

A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.

The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)