Young readers will enjoy how Latour and Daley celebrate Haitian history and culture through this lovely, artistic story
In this story full of the sounds, colors, and language of Haiti, the protagonist connects with herself, her family history, and the history of Haiti through her auntie Luce’s extraordinary art.
The bright cover depicts the young, brown-skinned, female protagonist with cornrowed hair, holding hands with Auntie Luce on the beach near a high hillside of multicolored houses. The dripping sun above them suggests that, with the long-handled brush that each character holds aloft, they are also painting the scene in which they appear. Vague details of conflicts between Luce and her sister, the protagonist’s mother, hint at why the child flies unaccompanied to Haiti every winter to visit, leaving her parents and brother behind. On this visit, the first question she asks Luce is if she can sit for a new painting. Since Auntie Luce last painted her when she was 7, Luce enthusiastically agrees, although the child has trouble sitting still for so long. It’s worth the effort, though, because Luce’s paintings “always talk back”—telling the stories of important black heroes of Haiti, such as Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Toussaint Louverture, as well as relatives. Daley’s richly saturated acrylic-on–illustration board paintings convey some of the complexities of time and place through the images themselves.
Young readers will enjoy how Latour and Daley celebrate Haitian history and culture through this lovely, artistic story . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77306-041-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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