KIMMY'S MARVELOUS WIND-CATCHING WONDER

The eponymous wonder is a rather mundane paper kite, created and eventually flown by Kimmy, a young brown-skinned girl with two long, black braids.

Although Kimmy’s diverse group of classmates insists that her homemade kite won’t fly, the little girl is persistent. When it won’t fly indoors, she hopes that it will soar when they go outside. Although anxious for a moment, she gets encouragement from the teacher, Miss Pam (also brown-skinned), and runs through the schoolyard. “And what do you think? / Her very own kite—that marvelous wind-catching wonder—flapped and fluttered… / …and flew!” Of course, after the successful flight, the other kids crowd around, and everyone wants to fly the kite covered in crayon drawings and with red, yellow, and blue tissue-paper streamers. Kimmy is a little taken aback. She responds: “You didn’t like it before.” But after thinking over the situation, she comes up with a great solution. The imaginative little girl shows everyone how to make “their very own kites.” The paintings, especially the faces, have a blandly cartoonish look, but the pictures are full of action, especially Kimmy with her flying black braids. A double-page spread with three rectangular boxes showing the kite getting off the ground is quite lovely. The afterword for adults about gumption, decision-making, and leadership seems overdone, but it may be useful for some. Notably absent are instructions for making kites.

An upbeat esteem booster and discussion starter.