An engaging and inclusive tale that encourages kids to unite and speak out against racism.
A teacher emboldens her students to fight against racism in this picture book.
A Black teacher talks to her class about racism—when people believe that individuals “with certain skin colors should not have the same rights or privileges as others.” Although racism is “everywhere and seems to want to stay,” she explains, “we need to work to end it.” Repeating “You know what’s right, you know what’s wrong, you have a voice, so SPEAK UP, BE STRONG!” the teacher describes ways students can make a difference. For example, she implores them to speak up “when someone is being treated differently because of the color of their skin” and march to “create the world that you want to see.” She also urges the kids to “listen to your heart, work together, do your part.” The teacher asks readers:“WHAT WILL YOU DO?” Ahiyya commendably emphasizes the importance of condemning racism and injustice. The text will enlighten and inspire people of all ages to take action. Faiallo’s animated illustrations portray diverse people, including Black, Asian American, and White students. Vivid background scenes emphasize unity, as when the students create a mural and a crowd marches with signs for BLM, #Stop Asian Hate, LGBTQ+, and peace. Some images feature powerful details, such as figures like Rosa Parks, when the teacher says, “Remember our words about equality, justice, and skin color / fairness, gender, hope, and respect.”
An engaging and inclusive tale that encourages kids to unite and speak out against racism.Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73390-498-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Hightree Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Whether spoken by a dinosaur or a human, this parental message clearly radiates “I’ve loved you from the start.”
The cover’s glowing golden stars are but a small hint of the parent-child love inside.
In this companion book to the creators’ I Love You, My Little Unicorn (2022), a world full of digitally created dinosaurs illustrated in eye-catching colors dominates the pages. From the start, it’s clear that dinosaur parents have the same hopes and dreams for their offspring that human parents do. Readers don’t have to be dinosaur fans to smile when the parent-and-child dinosaur pairs playfully interact and share loving glances. Take special note of the ankylosauruses, whose tails arc to form a heart beneath a sky filled with heart-shaped clouds. The text in verse shares words of unconditional parental love and support and wisdom (“please remember all these things / that I want you to know”), appropriate for humans and dinos alike. “Roar with all your might!” “Spread your wings and fly.” “Use your voice, and ask for help.” There’s even a caveat that some “days will be dark / and other shades of gray.” But “there’s always brightness up ahead.” While the loving sentiments in the storytelling are clear, words are sometimes inverted to make the rhyme work, and the verse doesn’t always follow a consistent meter, but prereading will let the story shine during quiet snuggle times.
Whether spoken by a dinosaur or a human, this parental message clearly radiates “I’ve loved you from the start.” (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781728268361
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
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