Jane Yolen, inspired by her granddaughter, Ariel Stemple (coauthor), own journey of self-confidence and overcoming her fears, is coming out in mid-October 2023 with the picture book Kiki Kicks. As many of my future publication book reviews, I found this as an online reader copy.
The story is straight forward with the sister half of a brother-sister twin duo, finally decides she is ready to try the martial arts that her mother and brother practice. Of course, like many young kids, she wants to fly before she walks (or in martial art terms, wants to be a mountain before she is a hill). The text is a flowing, poetic grouping of words. Our young heroine shows us (as she learns) how to be strong, by bending and how to be brave, while afraid.
The illustrations of John Ledda are sweet, a little amusing and round. Of course, there are corners and points, but the characters, sky and other images are “happy round feeling” works. They are nice, also flowing images to help keep the feeling and tone of the story. There is a nice background to them, allowing for the details needed to move the story along. They are backdrop and enhance without overpower the message of the book.
Now, while I enjoyed this book, I am not thinking it will become a classic, but it does have a nice modern feeling that will make it a favorite among todays readers. Most ages can take something from it, and you can adapt it for a younger listener.
