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BE A BABY

Name: BE A BABY
Author: Sarah Withrow
ISBN: 978-0-88899-776-0

by Sarah Withrow & illustrated by Manuel Monroy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2007

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This original lyrical homage to a baby offers metaphorical images for each kind of mood or action an infant might experience in her very young life. Being a baby encompasses the happy cooing of a bird, the playfulness of a tub of pudding or a monkey’s hunger satisfied with bananas. Playfulness and wonder lead to fatigue, inevitable tears and to the eventual peacefulness of sleep. A mother’s understanding voice tells her little one to “Be a moonbeam, Baby. / Be everything you are. / And I’ll toss you to the sky top / to meet the northern star. / Or be a baby, Baby, / and I’ll bundle you up tight. / And I’ll rock you in my arms / until the night turns light.” Gouache paintings in soft, muted blues, browns and greens provide background settings for a pink-skinned baby girl with wide curious eyes. The gentle rhyming text and the message it conveys is as much for new moms as for babies discovering themselves and the world around them. Multiple read alouds will surely be welcomed. (Picture book. 6-18 months)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-0-88899-776-0

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Groundwood

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY

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BRONZEVILLE BOYS AND GIRLS

by Gwendolyn Brooks & illustrated by Faith Ringgold ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2007

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Brooks’s gloriously universal celebration of African-American childhood here receives a respectful and joyous treatment from one of the pre-eminent illustrators of the same. Readers coming to “Narcissa,” “Beulah at Church” and “Marie Lucille” for the first time will discover them accompanied by Ringgold’s trademark folk-art interpretations, the expressive brown figures depicted for the most part as vignettes against bright backgrounds. They show a Bronzeville that bustles with activity, single-family homes sharing the streets with apartment buildings and the occasional vacant lot. The children run, braids and arms out straight, and contemplate in turns, their exuberance tempered by the solemnity of childhood. While it’s regrettable that occasionally the specificity of the illustration robs a verse of its universality—the “special place” referenced in “Keziah” is shown to be underneath the kitchen table, for instance—the overall ebullience of the images more than compensates. There is a drop of truth in every single playful, piercing stanza, and anything that brings these poems to a new audience is to be cheered; a lovely package indeed. (Picture book/poetry. 7+)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2007

ISBN: 0-06-029505-8

Page Count: 48

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2006

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY

- IN THE NEWS
Artist and Author Faith Ringgold Dies at 93

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ALL THE BLUES IN THE SKY

by Renée Watson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 2025

A heartfelt portrait of the complexities of grief and the indomitable human spirit.

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In the Newbery Honor–winning author’s latest, a Harlem teen copes with overwhelming pain while learning how to open up.

Sage’s 13th birthday was the worst day of her life; it was the day her best friend, Angel, was killed after a hit-and-run. In the wake of Angel’s death, Sage takes part in grief counseling with four other students; she connects with Ebony and DD, whose losses were sudden as well. Sage grapples with conflicting emotions, but the person who could help her sort them out is gone forever, leaving her convinced it was her fault. She wishes her life had concrete answers, like the math problems she enjoys. Instead, new friendships and a possible romance raise more questions. Finally, all her pent-up anger and sadness spill over, and Sage can longer hold in her feelings. Much to her surprise, speaking honestly helps lift the veil of sadness and sets her on a path toward healing. Watson has crafted an achingly beautiful novel that masterfully captures the realities of loss—the constant reminders of what life used to be like, the guilt that haunts Sage, and the anguish of “talking about someone you love in past tense.” Sage’s voice, rendered in a mix of prose and free verse, is visceral and wholly authentic, while the supporting characters are also richly and fully realized. Characters are cued Black.

A heartfelt portrait of the complexities of grief and the indomitable human spirit. (author’s note, resources) (Verse fiction. 10-14)