A delectably loving tribute to a pioneering entrepreneur.
The author grows to appreciate the ingenuity of her Taiwanese grandfather.
When Cheng was a child, her Agong carried a bag of coins in his pocket; that simple bag tells a story of “joyful jingles, sultry summers, and fresh frozen fruit.” It all began in 1965, when Agong was a young man making a living selling pork. As the demand for pork dwindled, he wondered what else he could stock in his empty freezer. Noticing the scorching summer heat, he had an idea and started traveling the country, speaking with farmers harvesting guava, pineapple, star fruit, and more. Slicing the fruits and blending them together with bits of sugar, Agong experimented with ways to package the frozen delights, finally landing on colorful pouches that “gleamed like jewels in red, white and yellow as they quickly turned to scrumptious fruit pops.” The innovation didn’t stop there. Agong realized that outdoor food vendors often had difficulty being heard over the cacophony of honking vehicles, so he held a competition, inviting composers to devise a creative jingle to “cut through the rumbling noise of Taipei.” As Cheng brings her tale to a close, she notes that her grandfather’s legacy lives on as three generations of family sing the tune at his funeral. Her gently affectionate narrative flows naturally, marked by alliterative, elegant language. Mineker’s warmly textured illustrations rely on soft lines and bold colors.
A delectably loving tribute to a pioneering entrepreneur. (Picture-book biography. 5-8)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593617755
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
An inspiring introduction to the young Nobel Peace Prize winner and a useful conversation starter.
The latest of many picture books about the young heroine from Pakistan, this one is narrated by Malala herself, with a frame that is accessible to young readers.
Malala introduces her story using a television show she used to watch about a boy with a magic pencil that he used to get himself and his friends out of trouble. Readers can easily follow Malala through her own discovery of troubles in her beloved home village, such as other children not attending school and soldiers taking over the village. Watercolor-and-ink illustrations give a strong sense of setting, while gold ink designs overlay Malala’s hopes onto her often dreary reality. The story makes clear Malala’s motivations for taking up the pen to tell the world about the hardships in her village and only alludes to the attempt on her life, with a black page (“the dangerous men tried to silence me. / But they failed”) and a hospital bracelet on her wrist the only hints of the harm that came to her. Crowds with signs join her call before she is shown giving her famous speech before the United Nations. Toward the end of the book, adult readers may need to help children understand Malala’s “work,” but the message of holding fast to courage and working together is powerful and clear.
An inspiring introduction to the young Nobel Peace Prize winner and a useful conversation starter. (Picture book/memoir. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-31957-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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