A thoughtful, empathetic, and stirring child’s-eye view of an all-too-common struggle.
Momma hasn’t been the same since returning from her deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa.
The Momma who twirled to Beyoncé and loved gardening is gone, and in her place is a Momma who can’t always manage to get out of bed, who has explosive outbursts, and who’s lost “the sunlight spotlight smile” her child once found so much comfort and joy in. The attentive young protagonist tries to help, dragging a bucket of dirt into the house and opening the curtains to remind Momma of who she was. Momma’s quiet, but she digs her fingers into the dirt, and things slowly begin looking up. Momma makes it clear that none of this is the child’s fault, and the next day, the two smile as the wildflowers bloom and Beyoncé plays in the background. Bell’s masterfully rendered, digitally edited ink and charcoal illustrations depict a Black mother and child whose love for each other is palpable even during moments of anguish. Scenes of them in the garden on Momma’s good days are bright and lively. In contrast, the hard days are illustrated with a surrealistic quality that demonstrates the impact of Momma’s pain on the whole family. Bingham’s text is honest yet child-friendly; laudably, she makes it clear that the burden of resolving a parent’s PTSD shouldn’t fall upon a child and that grappling with mental-health issues takes time.
A thoughtful, empathetic, and stirring child’s-eye view of an all-too-common struggle. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781419761553
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books.
Curious about the Big Wide World outside his Sasquatch community, Hugo makes a friend who is of it.
Sasquatch Hugo’s bedroom is inside a cave and possesses the charming feature of a small stream running through it that he can sail his little toy boat on. It’s cool, but he yearns to see the Big Wide World. When he asks his smart friend Gigi if a Sasquatch might become a sailor, she says it’s possible but would be difficult—the primary rule of their people is to not be seen by Humans. Then, in everyone’s favorite Hide and Go Sneak class, which is held outside, a Human appears; Hugo laughs at the sight, drawing Human attention in a taboo-breaking mistake. Shortly after, Hugo’s toy boat floats into the cave with a Human toy—soon, it’s facilitating a pen-pal–type relationship that’s derailed when Hugo confesses to being a Sasquatch and Human Boone, a budding cryptozoologist, doesn’t believe him. How Hugo and Boone resolve this misapprehension and become friends in a joint search for the Ogopogo concludes this series opener. Potter keeps the third-person narrative tightly focused on Hugo’s perspective, and the details she uses to flesh out the Sasquatch world are delightfully playful. Sala’s drawings depict a homey Sasquatch cavern community, Boone as a freckled, white boy, and Hugo as a hairily benevolent behemoth.
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books. (final art unseen) (Fantasy. 5-9)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2859-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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