A fun, informative window into the experiences of Arabs in the diaspora.
What does being Arab mean?
Camper offers 12 charming glimpses into the experience of being Arab in the diaspora, organized across the months of the year and accompanied by heartwarming, loose-lined digital illustrations. Whether “skateboarding in the sun, / or waiting for the bus with our headphones on” or creating a comic to spread awareness of Ramadan at school, the characters are “Arab, Arab, Arab, / the whole year through!” In an author’s note, Camper explains that these stories—a family observing a New Year’s Eve tradition of spotting stars with Arabic names; children and a grandmother making maamoul; a father playing his doumbek—are drawn from her and her friends’ experiences. Supplemented with a glossary, the book doesn’t shy away from politics, with references to the Arab Spring and the Palestinian struggle, and avoids universalizing statements about Arab culture. In the glossary, geddo is only “one way to say grandfather in Arabic.” And Camper’s definition of the hijab is nuanced—she notes that “in the Quran, the Islamic sacred book, God advises both male and female Muslims to dress modestly, and this principle is called hijab. There are many stylish and high-fashion designs for Muslim women’s wear.” Illustrations portray Arabs with different skin tones, hair colors, and dress styles. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fun, informative window into the experiences of Arabs in the diaspora. (Picture book. 7-11)Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1395-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A sincere but unsuccessful effort.
A collection of 52 Bible stories that focuses on God’s love and portrays people with skin tones typical of the regions in which the stories took place.
This work, with illustrations that correct modern Western misrepresentations of Jesus as someone with “white skin, blue eyes, and blond hair,” is divided into two sections—“Old Testament Stories” and “New Testament Stories.” In the first half, readers will encounter the tales of Joseph, who forgave his jealous brothers for selling him into slavery; Moses, who led the Hebrews out of Egypt; and the daughters of Zelophehad, who fought to inherit their father’s land, among others. The second section, which focuses on Jesus’ message to “love God, neighbor, and self,” covers events including his baptism, crucifixion, and resurrection, as well as the Pentecost and the Revelation of John. While the book does a great job of emphasizing that God’s love is for everyone, the manner of delivery, which is heavily explanatory, robs the narrative of much interest. The audience is also unclear: Younger children may grow restless with the long passages of text and struggle to read the small font independently, while older readers may find that the overall design and appearance feel aimed at younger kids. Although this volume represents a noble attempt to portray brown and Black people in the Bible, the illustrations are uninspired and simplistic.
A sincere but unsuccessful effort. (authors’ notes, publisher’s note) (Nonfiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9781506487182
Page Count: 295
Publisher: Beaming Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
A stimulating outing to the furthest reaches of our knowledge, certain to inspire deep thoughts.
From a Caldecott and Sibert honoree, an invitation to take a mind-expanding journey from the surface of our planet to the furthest reaches of the observable cosmos.
Though Chin’s assumption that we are even capable of understanding the scope of the universe is quixotic at best, he does effectively lead viewers on a journey that captures a sense of its scale. Following the model of Kees Boeke’s classic Cosmic View: The Universe in Forty Jumps (1957), he starts with four 8-year-old sky watchers of average height (and different racial presentations). They peer into a telescope and then are comically startled by the sudden arrival of an ostrich that is twice as tall…and then a giraffe that is over twice as tall as that…and going onward and upward, with ellipses at each page turn connecting the stages, past our atmosphere and solar system to the cosmic web of galactic superclusters. As he goes, precisely drawn earthly figures and features in the expansive illustrations give way to ever smaller celestial bodies and finally to glimmering swirls of distant lights against gulfs of deep black before ultimately returning to his starting place. A closing recap adds smaller images and additional details. Accompanying the spare narrative, valuable side notes supply specific lengths or distances and define their units of measure, accurately explain astronomical phenomena, and close with the provocative observation that “the observable universe is centered on us, but we are not in the center of the entire universe.”
A stimulating outing to the furthest reaches of our knowledge, certain to inspire deep thoughts. (afterword, websites, further reading) (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4623-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
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