Lets young readers tiptoe through the wild, wonderful life of a celebrated poet.
A young Mary Oliver (1935-2019) is entranced by the natural world and the many questions it evokes.
How would it feel to fly? Do flowers ever get sad? Might rocks be living things? These questions and many more awaken a sense of wonder in Mary, prompting her to write in her notebook wherever she finds herself (even if that means stowing pencils behind trees on her regular route through the woods). Mary finds joy and solace in poetry, both in writing her own verse and reading that of others. When Mary meets photographer Molly Malone Cook as a young adult, she’s thrilled to gain a life partner who asks the same questions of the world as she does. Mary becomes well known, even winning a Pulitzer in 1984, but she continues to lead the quiet existence she loves. Frankel’s gently flowing, lyrical prose mimics some of Oliver’s work in its pacing and rhythm. More discussion of Mary’s sexuality or feminism might have rounded out the story, though the writer’s personality comes through strongly. Hu’s digital illustrations have an ethereal watercolor feel, highlighting the natural world in muted hues.
Lets young readers tiptoe through the wild, wonderful life of a celebrated poet. (author’s note, timeline, a note on the craft of poetry, bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781662680823
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal.
Before growing up to become a major figure in the civil rights movement, a boy finds a role model.
Buffing up a childhood tale told by her renowned father, Young Shelton describes how young Andrew saw scary men marching in his New Orleans neighborhood (“It sounded like they were yelling ‘Hi, Hitler!’ ”). In response to his questions, his father took him to see a newsreel of Jesse Owens (“a runner who looked like me”) triumphing in the 1936 Olympics. “Racism is a sickness,” his father tells him. “We’ve got to help folks like that.” How? “Well, you can start by just being the best person you can be,” his father replies. “It’s what you do that counts.” In James’ hazy chalk pastels, Andrew joins racially diverse playmates (including a White child with an Irish accent proudly displaying the nickel he got from his aunt as a bribe to stop playing with “those Colored boys”) in tag and other games, playing catch with his dad, sitting in the midst of a cheering crowd in the local theater’s segregated balcony, and finally visualizing himself pelting down a track alongside his new hero—“head up, back straight, eyes focused,” as a thematically repeated line has it, on the finish line. An afterword by Young Shelton explains that she retold this story, told to her many times growing up, drawing from conversations with Young and from her own research; family photos are also included. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal. (illustrator’s note) (Autobiographical picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-545-55465-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
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