These connected tales bring characters and their rich cultural inheritance to satisfying life.
A magical hat and a trickster rabbit enliven an Indigenous boy’s summer in this tale by the renowned Cree musician and artistic polymath.
Tâpwê spends summers on the reserve with Kohkom, his grandmother, while his mom attends tribal college. This year, he’s invited to stay with his cousins during their powwow while Kohkom visits his mom. Before leaving, Kohkom gives him a magical hat and a warning to “watch out for Tricksters.” But, fascinated by the hat, home to six talking animals, three charming bluebirds and three baby grass snakes, Tâpwê tunes out her advice. The animals will help Tâpwê find his way and keep him company, Kohkom says, provided he’s good to them. Shy Tâpwê bonds easily with cousin Willie and his sisters—all are intrigued by Tâpwê’s hat. One day, the Trickster rabbit, Wâpos, appears and introduces himself to Tâpwê, who’s thrilled (the hat goes quiet, though) until Wâpos steals the hat—luckily, a savvy adult helps to get it back. Hearing his relatives recount intriguing Wâpos adventures, Tâpwê lets Wâpos lead him into trouble, too, and ignores his hat’s creatures until he’s horrified to discover they’ve turned into toys. The stories are studded with quotidian details, and Wâpos, resembling a manic, slightly menacing Bugs Bunny, is a standout, a complex character whose lessons—embarrassing, silly, or downright painful—are variations on the message that “the burned hand teaches best.” Publishes simultaneously in Cree.
These connected tales bring characters and their rich cultural inheritance to satisfying life. (author's note, glossary) (Chapter book. 6-11)Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-77164-546-1
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode.
A long-running series reaches its closing chapters.
Having, as Kline notes in her warm valedictory acknowledgements, taken 30 years to get through second and third grade, Harry Spooger is overdue to move on—but not just into fourth grade, it turns out, as his family is moving to another town as soon as the school year ends. The news leaves his best friend, narrator “Dougo,” devastated…particularly as Harry doesn’t seem all that fussed about it. With series fans in mind, the author takes Harry through a sort of last-day-of-school farewell tour. From his desk he pulls a burned hot dog and other items that featured in past episodes, says goodbye to Song Lee and other classmates, and even (for the first time ever) leads Doug and readers into his house and memento-strewn room for further reminiscing. Of course, Harry isn’t as blasé about the move as he pretends, and eyes aren’t exactly dry when he departs. But hardly is he out of sight before Doug is meeting Mohammad, a new neighbor from Syria who (along with further diversifying a cast that began as mostly white but has become increasingly multiethnic over the years) will also be starting fourth grade at summer’s end, and planning a written account of his “horrible” buddy’s exploits. Finished illustrations not seen.
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47963-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
