Wonderfully diverse illustrations and great text demonstrate how each person's voice is unique, show the many ways people can use their voice (art, voWonderfully diverse illustrations and great text demonstrate how each person's voice is unique, show the many ways people can use their voice (art, voting, protesting, using a tablet, ASL, a communication board, etc.), and give a bit of advice (when to speak up and when to quiet your voice to listen).
As with all the books by this team/in this series, the diversity contained within the illustrations is excellent. There's great racial diversity and disability rep (two characters who use wheelchairs, a child who has hearing aids, some children using ASL, and two different types of communication devices). As with all the books in this series, I like that there's a wide cast of characters, but many of them appear at various times throughout the book. Sometimes alone and sometimes with others....more
This book is bright, joyous... and heartbreaking. It's a celebration of how similar we are, despite our seeming differences, and it's also a call to hThis book is bright, joyous... and heartbreaking. It's a celebration of how similar we are, despite our seeming differences, and it's also a call to help and welcome those who are going through tough situations (specifically, being a refugee who has had to flee from your home because of war).
Through its pictures and text, it illustrates how different children can be (different body types, different skin tones, different clothing, there's a child with crutches, a child with a prosthetic foot, children with hearing aids and cochlear implants, wearing glasses, and more), while also being very similar. "You may speak a different language. You may have a different name. On the outside you look different, but your feelings are the same."
I've read this twice and I teared up both times. There's one page that says, "Would you listen to their story? Would you tell them yours, as well?" and it has lists (with drawings) that two children have made. One says, "My Story: I have a rabbit, I have twin sisters, our car is yellow, I like ice cream" and the other says, "My Story: I had a cat, I had a big brother, our car was blue, I like ice cream." Those lists are very similar, but those past tenses speak volumes.
Overall, I think this book would be best to read with your own little ones, rather than use in a storytime. If there is a group or class that you're a part of that includes refugees that have fled from violence then this could be good for a storytime (as long as there was also discussion about it). I think I would probably show it to the refugee parents first and maybe the child as well, to see if they want it to be read.
I think it's a powerful, potential empathy-building book. ...more
Wow, this book is small but big in its hope and inspiration. I teared up as I read it, mostly happy tears because of these extraordinary (but ordinaryWow, this book is small but big in its hope and inspiration. I teared up as I read it, mostly happy tears because of these extraordinary (but ordinary) people, but also sad tears that our world is such a place that small heroes are needed everywhere. I also liked the variety of people's stories told, activists, educators, artists, cooks, and gardeners. Some of the people's actions are seemingly small, but, as I said, they are so full of hope and inspiration....more
This is a wonderful introduction to recycling, up-cycling, and figuring out solutions (as well as showing problems). It was neat seeing how different This is a wonderful introduction to recycling, up-cycling, and figuring out solutions (as well as showing problems). It was neat seeing how different cultures and time periods reused things, but also showing how almost all recycling leads to some waste eventually (or a lot, in the case of plastics, since most of it can't actually be recycled). I like how it showed Charlie, one of our leads, getting overwhelmed because there are so many issues, hurdles, and problems, but the book ended on a hopeful note. When presenting problems (whether that be related to climate, poverty, etc.) to kids (or anyone), it is best to also present an actionable step they can take so they're not left feeling helpless, and this book does just that. As well as showing how kids can help reduce waste in their own lives, it also has a form letter kids can use to craft a letter to their mayor, representative, etc.
Overall, this is a fun and engaging graphic novel that introduces kids to sustainability....more
A cute book about giving and doing what you can for your community and those around you. It has great racial diversity, a bit of ethnic diversity, andA cute book about giving and doing what you can for your community and those around you. It has great racial diversity, a bit of ethnic diversity, and some disability rep (a child in a wheelchair appears in many pictures)....more
Unfortunately, this book is very, very relevant right now... and I wonder if it's been banned yet? It was an engaging story with likable characters (aUnfortunately, this book is very, very relevant right now... and I wonder if it's been banned yet? It was an engaging story with likable characters (and a couple of unlikeable ones). I LOVE that the author shows that the teacher who censors the books is a great teacher in some ways and cares for her students... sometimes that care is just misguided (at least from the lead's and my perspective). I also like that one of the students who helps to fight the censorship could almost be described as Alt-Right (he may or may not believe the earth is flat, he doesn't believe in the moon landing, etc.), but he and his dad firmly believe in his rights and this includes his right to read books as they were written. In other words, through various characters, the author conveys that people are complicated.
(vague spoiler) I also LOVE one scene in which the grandfather and Mac cry together and that it demonstrates how it's okay for men and boys to cry... even in public and to admit that we're hurting, have self-doubts, etc.
In some ways, it feels like the author tries to touch on too much (censorship, book banning, feminism, having a bad father, having a friend who's asexual/aromantic, how some holidays maybe shouldn't be celebrated or should be celebrated differently, etc.), but, at the same time, with the characters portrayed and developed as they are, none of those things feels forced. In other words, it covers a lot. Partly because of this, I think it would make a great book club book and would be a great one for a caregiver to read to/along with their child, because there's lots of fuel for discussion....more
A good introduction for kids to the climate crisis and some ideas of things they can do to effect positive change as told through a story. In additionA good introduction for kids to the climate crisis and some ideas of things they can do to effect positive change as told through a story. In addition to the story, the back of the book is filled with a plethora of resources on how to talk to children about the climate crisis, some ideas on actions you can take together, a "Vocabulary and Child-Friendly Definitions" section, a "Sample Child-Parent Questions and Answers" section, and some guidance on how we, as adults, can respond to climate change.
The text is rather long so this would probably be best to read with upper elementary or lower middle school students. ...more
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