A fun and informative examination of a pivotal song in Black history.
This unique look at James Brown’s “Say It Loud—I’m Black and I’m Proud” is told from the perspective of the song itself.
“I’ve been flowing strong since I was born in 1968,” the tune informs readers, “Like the Mississippi River running up and down the States.” Black people of various shades appear in the illustrations. Infused with energy and life, text and art explain that the song is a testament to Black history and pride. Owens and Okafor celebrate protest and activism. “I’m free to inhale, exhale, / take a breath, breathe / Free to take a stand / on two feet or one knee,” the text asserts, accompanied by an image of a child standing beside an athlete kneeling. Author and illustrator also speak to the song’s continued relevance (“I’m topping charts on Spotify, I’m on the evening news. / I’m tumbling out of Usher’s mouth / and rolling with the times”). Backmatter notes that Brown, eager for his message of Black pride to resonate with young people, arranged for children to sing the chorus, making it a fitting topic for a picture book. The illustrations pop with striking yellows, pinks, greens, and blues; the refrain (“I’m a song so black, so proud. / Sing it strong! Sing it loud!”) is presented in large text against arresting, bright backgrounds; little ones will eagerly join in, chanting it aloud. (This book was reviewed digitally; this review was updated for factual accuracy.)
A fun and informative examination of a pivotal song in Black history. (author’s note, timeline, photographs) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9781534112704
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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