A far-out read for the far- (or near-) sighted.
Spectacles—“sweet sight-givers”—have never been snazzier.
The big day has arrived; it’s time for a young Black child to select a new pair of glasses. But this is no simple chore. In fact, the weight of the choice is immeasurable. Garrett emphasizes that though the wearer may make the pick, so, too, does the pick make the wearer. The stakes are high, the occasion a heavy endeavor, but the message, delivered in effervescent second-person verse, couldn’t be clearer: You’ve got this. Sure, thoughtful decision-making, deep self-knowledge, and a heaping helping of cool confidence are all qualities you’ll need to make the right choice, but dig deep, and the specs you ultimately select will only forge a you-er you, just a smidge more “SPEC-tacular” than before. A follow-up to 2022’s Kicks, this is an empowering adventure in self-expression, a celebratory slant on an aesthetic addition that, for some readers, may otherwise elicit insecurity. Garrett’s masterfully measured text flows like beat poetry, pulsing with the kind of rhythm that invites rapturous snaps in lieu of applause; ophthalmological puns and 10-cent terms abound, too, to aurally pleasing ends. Brown’s illustrative work proves the perfect complement, each playful spread teeming with delightful thematic detail. From soup to nuts, this piece oozes style. Secondary characters are diverse.
A far-out read for the far- (or near-) sighted. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9780358141822
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Versify/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Formulaic but not stale…even if it does mine previous topical material rather than expand it.
A guide to better behavior—at home, on the playground, in class, and in the library.
Serving as a sort of overview for the series’ 12 previous exercises in behavior modeling, this latest outing opens with a set of badly behaving dinos, identified in an endpaper key and also inconspicuously in situ. Per series formula, these are paired to leading questions like “Does she spit out her broccoli onto the floor? / Does he shout ‘I hate meat loaf!’ while slamming the door?” (Choruses of “NO!” from young audiences are welcome.) Midway through, the tone changes (“No, dinosaurs don’t”), and good examples follow to the tune of positive declarative sentences: “They wipe up the tables and vacuum the floors. / They share all the books and they never slam doors,” etc. Teague’s customary, humongous prehistoric crew, all depicted in exact detail and with wildly flashy coloration, fill both their spreads and their human-scale scenes as their human parents—no same-sex couples but some are racially mixed, and in one the man’s the cook—join a similarly diverse set of sibs and other children in either disapprobation or approving smiles. All in all, it’s a well-tested mix of oblique and prescriptive approaches to proper behavior as well as a lighthearted way to play up the use of “please,” “thank you,” and even “I’ll help when you’re hurt.”
Formulaic but not stale…even if it does mine previous topical material rather than expand it. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-36334-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
Though the focus on sugar is apparent, an underlining theme of balancing nutrition with exercise rounds out the...
A risk of family diabetes prompts Tía Sofía to teach her nieces and nephews about alternatives to sugar when choosing meals and snacks.
Ten-year-old Tito and his cousins enjoy spending weekends at their aunt’s house, playing board games and watching television. On this weekend, Tía Sofía tells the family that everyone must help Tito eat healthier to avoid developing diabetes like his grandfather and uncle. To do this, they must eliminate as much hidden sugar as possible and eat natural sugars such as those in fruits. Under their aunt’s guidance, the children spend the day analyzing all their meals. They learn, for example, that ketchup and relish include sugar, but fresh tomato and homemade salsa on a hamburger can be healthier and just as delicious. At day’s end, they are surprised with an apple turnover, sans sugar but made with cinnamon, that holds its natural delicious sweetness simply from the juice of the apples. Latino family scenes painted in gouache on textured paper are populated by amiable, brown-skinned characters who seem to enjoy the challenge presented to them. The weekend concludes with the only acceptable sugar treat, a sweet kiss from Tía Sofía.
Though the focus on sugar is apparent, an underlining theme of balancing nutrition with exercise rounds out the purpose-filled story told with a fluent dual English and Spanish text. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 31, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55885-702-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012
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