Next book

WHAT DOES BROWN MEAN TO YOU?

An affirming celebration of being brown.

A young brown-skinned boy considers the many ways the color brown shows up in his life.

Benny wakes up, beginning his day while his brown dog, Percy, still sleeps. He heads to the kitchen, where he greets his brown father, who is mixing up pancakes. His brown grandparents greet Benny with a kiss as they drink coffee, creating a “lovely moment of bliss.” Outside, his mom picks “juicy tomatoes,” and he observes the brown soil. Benny feeds hay to Bess the brown cow and collects brown eggs. Next, he and Percy explore the outdoors—playing hide-and-seek, balancing on logs, and watching an approaching storm. Caught in the rain, Benny plays in the brown mud before going inside to dry off. With the day ahead gloomy, Benny paints a portrait of his brown family. Benny helps his mom in the kitchen as the family ends their day with dinner and dancing to the joyful songs of James Brown. Once in bed, Benny wonders, “What does Brown mean to you?” There is repetition and rhyme throughout this upbeat, encouraging tale as Benny describes how the color brown appears throughout his daily activities and the emotions that arise. Many scenes evoke readers’ senses as the boy and his family explore what brown means to them. Simple illustrations, created with pencil and finished digitally, in a neutral palette complement the text. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An affirming celebration of being brown. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-46288-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

Next book

CARPENTER'S HELPER

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Next book

PAPA'S COMING HOME

An affirming, though lackluster, look at a loving queer family.

For his debut picture book, teacher and activist Chasten Buttigieg draws inspiration from life with husband Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. transportation secretary.

The big day has finally arrived! Rosie and Jojo have been counting down the days until Papa comes home from his work trip. With a little help from Daddy, they make “welcome home” signs to greet Papa at the airport, pick flowers from the garden, and bake a “seven-layer chocolate cake with purple and yellow frosting.” Much to Daddy’s bemusement, the kids gather all of Papa’s favorite things, including his robe and slippers and their adorable pooch, Butter, as they walk out the door to pick up Papa from his travels. The author offers an affectionate portrait of the everyday domestic life of a same-sex family unit. While many kids and adults will be pleased to see their experiences reflected on the page, both the choppy writing and the flat digital artwork are fairly bland. Characters display similarly excited facial expressions throughout, while the portrayal of the children borders on overly cutesy at times, with intentionally misspelled signs throughout the house (“Papa’s Very Spechull Garden. Please do not tutch”). Like the author’s actual children, Rosie and Jojo are brown-skinned, while Daddy and Papa present white.

An affirming, though lackluster, look at a loving queer family. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 20, 2025

ISBN: 9780593693988

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

Categories:
Close Quickview