A beautiful and thoughtful message woven into a brief yet poignant story.
Daniel becomes curious about his parents’ mysterious early morning outings.
After observing his parents carrying boxes in the snow on several occasions, Daniel asks his mother and his older siblings, Ezra and Leah. He’s told that his parents “went out and about.” Not satisfied with this vague answer, Daniel is determined to discover the truth, but after overhearing a conversation between his neighbor Mrs. Cohen, who recently lost her job, and his mother, he realizes that his parents have been secretly leaving the Cohens food and other necessities before the weekly Shabbat observance. Daniel remembers a time when his grandmother was ill and a box of treats was left on the family’s porch without a card; his mother explained, “Surprise acts of kindness are the best.” The Maimonides quote that opens the book—“Giving is most blessed when the donor remains completely anonymous”—feels particularly fitting now as Daniel joins his father early the next morning, carrying a box to the Cohens’ porch with a simple note: “Shabbat Shalom.” Though simple, the story imparts an important lesson, one that young people will easily pick up on. Soft, lovely illustrations depict an observant Jewish home with several Judaic objects prominently displayed amid snowy winter suburban scenes. The author’s note explains that Maimonides was a 12th-century rabbi known for his “eight levels of Tzedakah,” or giving. Characters are tan-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A beautiful and thoughtful message woven into a brief yet poignant story. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9798986396545
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kalaniot Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...
Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.
The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mackinac Island Press
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
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