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THE RIVER IS MY OCEAN

Name: THE RIVER IS MY OCEAN
Author: Rio Cortez
ISBN: 9781665912570

by Rio Cortez ; illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 27, 2024

A heartfelt narrative steeped in love and tradition.

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Connections to ancestors and cultural identity flow when a young Afro-Latine New Yorker bonds with her grandma.

The narrator, who’s brown-skinned with black hair braided in cornrows, loves spending time with brown-skinned Abuela, who used to live by the sea and misses it dearly. On Saturdays they walk down from Harlem toward Twelfth Avenue to the Hudson River. While the girl has never lived by the sea, she experiences a range of strong emotions when she’s near the river: quiet, curious, happy, and, sometimes, a mix of feelings. Abuela explains that they visit the Hudson to express gratitude to Yemaya, a Yoruba goddess of motherhood and the sea. Imagining Yemaya as a brown-skinned mermaid with a blue tail, the child thanks the river. As Abuela and the child walk home, the love between them, and their affection for the river, is palpable. An author’s note adds more information about Yemaya, who became associated with the ocean following the Middle Passage, and reminisces about her own Puerto Rican grandmother. Sweet, simple prose brimming with emotion celebrates cultural heritage and the connection between generations, while vivid, childlike illustrations capture the warmth of family moments. Both text and art home in on details of the bustling city, from the piragua cart the child passes to the honking of cars; it’s a potent reminder that young urbanites can forge bonds with nature, too.

A heartfelt narrative steeped in love and tradition. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024

ISBN: 9781665912570

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ABCS OF BLACK HISTORY
by Rio Cortez ; illustrated by Lauren Semmer

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)