A positive boost from a strong role model.
NBA legend Curry draws from his own childhood experiences to tell the story of an aspiring basketball player with a hidden ability.
Eight-year-old Hughes isn’t going to tell everyone what his superpower is—he’s going to show them, and he wants to teach readers how to use theirs, too. On his way to the basketball court, Hughes discusses how he discovered his power: First, his mom told him about it, and then his coach told him, too. Dressed in his tank top and shorts, Hughes arrives at the basketball court ready for action. He watches the tallest kids and the fastest kids get picked first for teams. But Hughes’ superpower isn’t one that he was born with, nor is it one that he picked up quickly—it took months of practice. His is a power that can be applied to any passion: his heart. Bowers’ energetic, cartoonlike illustrations work well with the comic-style narration: A Black television announcer on a screen appears on each page, prompting Hughes to share his story, which appears in speech bubbles. This dual narration makes for a dynamic presentation of the overt message, which many children need to hear. A diverse cast of characters surround Hughes, who is brown-skinned (one of his parents presents Black; the other is tan-skinned). Curry appears on the final spread, telling readers that he didn’t let discouraging comments stop him from playing the game that he loves. He invites readers to go back through the book and find a list of his favorite things hidden in the images throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A positive boost from a strong role model. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-38604-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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