Sweetly demonstrates how this traditional dance links the generations.
Josie, a young Ojibwe girl, looks forward to dancing in her first powwow, but she needs some special things before she’s ready.
This intergenerational story reveals the extensive preparation undertaken by the fancy dancer’s entire family to get ready for the biggest event of the year. Josie practices her dance steps for many months while the women in her family devote long hours to creating the regalia she will wear. She asks her mother to sew “a fancy shawl outfit.” She asks her aunty to bead her cape and her grandmother to bead her moccasins and leggings. Most importantly, she asks Grandma Greatwalker, “Will you dream my spirit name?” Each time, her elders respond in Ojibwemowin using the name appropriate to their relationship to her, a pattern that continues throughout. (A glossary is appended.) She practices all winter long, continuing when the “spring birds returned, and Juneberries ripened.” The day of the powwow finally arrives. Her excitement grows as she listens “to drummers practicing, the happy cries of visitors seeing family.” After Josie is dressed and ready, she receives her special honor. From Grandma Greatwalker’s dreams, Josie receives her spirit name: “Migiziinsikwe, Young Eagle Woman!” Colorful illustrations rendered in watercolor show the beauty and intricate patterns of traditional beadwork, birchbark baskets, and fine regalia. Both Lajimodiere and Erdrich are citizens of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
Sweetly demonstrates how this traditional dance links the generations. (map, author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68134-207-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)
Bewitched by the rhythms of jazz all around her in Depression-era Kansas City, little Melba Doretta Liston longs to make music in this fictional account of a little-known jazz great.
Picking up the trombone at 7, the little girl teaches herself to play with the support of her Grandpa John and Momma Lucille, performing on the radio at 8 and touring as a pro at just 17. Both text and illustrations make it clear that it’s not all easy for Melba; “The Best Service for WHITES ONLY” reads a sign in a hotel window as the narrative describes a bigotry-plagued tour in the South with Billie Holiday. But joy carries the day, and the story ends on a high note, with Melba “dazzling audiences and making headlines” around the world. Russell-Brown’s debut text has an innate musicality, mixing judicious use of onomatopoeia with often sonorous prose. Morrison’s sinuous, exaggerated lines are the perfect match for Melba’s story; she puts her entire body into her playing, the exaggerated arch of her back and thrust of her shoulders mirroring the curves of her instrument. In one thrilling spread, the evening gown–clad instrumentalist stands over the male musicians, her slide crossing the gutter while the back bow disappears off the page to the left. An impressive discography complements a two-page afterword and a thorough bibliography.
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60060-898-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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