On par with other books on the subject, this celebration of black hair, culture, and community is one to share.
A black child thinks of all the hairstyles she knows as she tries to decide how to wear her hair for her birthday in this British import.
The narrator’s parents take her to the hairdresser, where the child looks at magazines and then starts to think about all the hairstyles she has seen on her family and friends. Her mom wears “dazzling dreadlocks,” her sister experiments with “Bantu knots, a high top fade, braids.” She runs through the looks on boys and men too: her brothers’ designed cornrows, her father’s clean-shaved head and full beard, her uncle’s waves, preserved with a do-rag. An aunt’s short shave, Grandpa’s turbans, a friend’s twist-out…everyone’s hair is beautiful, but the child still doesn’t know what to choose for herself. Finally, Mommy whispers to her, and she knows what style to wear. The rhyming text is upbeat and fun to read despite a few dips in the rhythm. The fanciful, stylized illustrations make large, dramatic shapes of the hairstyles on people (almost all of whom present black) and their pets, with lines and squiggles emphasizing texture and volume. Each character has a distinct personality, and all seem to rejoice in their hair and the process of caring for it. The narrator, her loved ones, and their culture are eminently likable, making this a joyful read.
On par with other books on the subject, this celebration of black hair, culture, and community is one to share. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-571-34686-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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