Fans of Hole’s mixed-media collages, rendered in a retro-infused, surreal style, will find this book his most beautiful yet.
After tackling the neighborhood bully (Garmann's Street, 2010) and the impending death of his elderly aunts (Garmann's Summer, 2008), Garmann returns in his third discovery of life’s universal truths, this time exploring secrets—and first love.
While many call the redheaded identical twins, Hannah and Johanna, first introduced in Garmann’s Summer, two peas in a pod, Garmann has begun noticing their differences, which are slyly played out through illustrations. One day Johanna leads the young Norwegian boy into the woods, where she shows him a rusted, hidden space capsule. As the children realize their mutual fascination with space, they decide to make the capsule their secret hideout. Just as he did in his previous books, Garmann turns to the adults in his life to help make sense of his world. After discovering that “everyone has secrets” from his mother, he opens up to Johanna, exposing a few of his secrets and learning some of hers. In this quiet give and take, Garmann and Johanna learn what many adults never do: A fine blend of vulnerability and trust can lead to love. The woods’ lush greenery, mystical lighting that subtly changes as night falls and tiny white flowers that dot the ground like stars all form the perfect place for keeping secrets.
Fans of Hole’s mixed-media collages, rendered in a retro-infused, surreal style, will find this book his most beautiful yet. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5400-1
Page Count: 50
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2012
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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