In this worthwhile father-son story, music is the tie that binds.
A child inherits his parent’s love of music but develops his own tastes.
Trevor, an African American tween, faces a conundrum as both the end-of-school party and his birthday approach. While his father, DJ Dap Daddy, plays some amazing tunes, Trevor feels increasingly distant from him, as his dad seems unaware that the boy is growing up and changing. When his parents split up and his dad gets his own place, Trevor hesitates to tell him that he has new friends and favorite foods and that a remix might be better for the school party than the classics. While listening to “Stand By Me” one day, Trevor changes the tempo, adds guitar, new instruments, beatboxing, scratching, vocals, and a voice-over, fashioning his own remix. With this song that’s “old and new at the same time,” Trevor brings something truly his own to his dad’s DJing when the party rolls around. This is a realistic story of a child coming-of-age with an artistic parent who looks back more than forward but who can also still grow. Brown’s highly patterned and textured watercolor, ink, and pencil illustrations incorporate collage elements, effectively conveying the tensions between father and son. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
In this worthwhile father-son story, music is the tie that binds. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780374307424
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
A charming year in the life of a most idyllic farm; horse lovers will be entranced.
Let’s go for a pony ride!
Lily, a young Black child who lives on a farm, takes readers on a tour. Meadows’ verse leads us step by step through the seasons—ponies grazing in a pasture on a warm day, Lily taking part in a pony show in autumn, and ponies hunkering down in the barn, taking refuge from the “frost and snow” of winter. The easy rhythm of the text pairs well with Cloud’s soft, pastoral vistas. While the story is delivered with a light touch, it still shows the hard work of caring for a large animal. “Soapy water in a pail. / Gentle strokes from head to tail.” “Pick the hooves / for stone and dirt / I notice when / my pony’s hurt.” Exuding familial warmth, the bright artwork lets readers follow Lily from pastures to picnics—and even, best of all, to the arrival of a newcomer: “A foal is born / New life is here.” This easy reader will speak to any child who has wished for a pony of their own and refreshingly centers a family of color—something not often seen in similar titles.
A charming year in the life of a most idyllic farm; horse lovers will be entranced. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780593483169
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
This multigenerational snuggle will encourage the sharing of old memories and the creation of new ones.
Hill and Bobbiesi send a humungous hug from grandmothers to their granddaughters everywhere.
Delicate cartoon art adds details to the rhyming text showing multigenerational commonalities. “You and I are alike in such wonderful ways. / You will see more and more as you grow” (as grandmother and granddaughter enjoy the backyard together); “I wobbled uncertainly just as you did / whenever I tried something new” (as a toddler takes first steps); “And if a bad dream woke me up in the night, / I snuggled up with my lovey too” (grandmother kisses granddaughter, who clutches a plush narwhal). Grandmother-granddaughter pairs share everyday joys like eating ice cream, dancing “in the rain,” and making “up silly games.” Although some activities skew stereotypically feminine (baking, yoga), a grandmother helps with a quintessential volcano experiment (this pair presents black, adding valuable STEM representation), another cheers on a young wheelchair athlete (both present Asian), and a third, wearing a hijab, accompanies her brown-skinned granddaughter on a peace march, as it is “important to speak out for what you believe.” The message of unconditional love is clear throughout: “When you need me, I’ll be there to listen and care. / There is nothing that keeps us apart.” The finished book will include “stationery…for a special letter from Grandma to you!”
This multigenerational snuggle will encourage the sharing of old memories and the creation of new ones. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0623-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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