Big by Vashti Harrison
Oh, aren’t you a big girl, eating your dinner! Well look how big you have gotten. Now, eat up and get big and strong. When you’re little these are what the adults tell you. And they push being a “big kid” and we as kids want to be like the “big kids.” Until the day we are told there is such a thing as “too big” and that means “wrong.” And that is what our young girl is this story deals with. Vashti Harrison talks […]
Out of the Blue by Nic Yulo
Hair Love ABC’s by Matthew A. Cherry
Theme of this review is: I had two short books and not enough to say about either to make two 250-word reviews. And this time it is only one CBR15Passport, new to me author Nic Yulo. The first book is Out of the Blue by Nic Yulo (who also is the illustrator of this mad capped adventure) is about smallness and bigness. Our gal Coral is a big dreams and big adventure gal, but it is hard to do that when you are the smallest person […]
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o and Vashti Harrison
Sulwe is the colour of midnight. Her mama is the colour of dawn, her father the colour of dusk and her little sister is the colour of high noon. Sulwe has darker skin than anyone in her family and pretty much everyone at school. While her little sister is given positive nicknames like ‘ray’ and ‘sunshine’, Sulwe is called ‘darkie’ and ‘night’. This is obviously deeply hurtful to the little girl, who remains withdrawn and friendless. Sulwe tries a number of things to lighten her […]
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita Nyong’o has created a picture book that deals with the issue of loving yourself. Growing up darker than her family, Nyong’o always wanted to change her looks; wanted to be lighter, like her own family and like her character, Sulwe. And while the two took different journeys, the ending is the same. They both came to love who they were: inside and out. This is done in a not overly preachy manner and the journey to being yourself could be anyone’s journey due to […]
Cece Loves Science is the first picture book in a new series. Cece is a clever girl who asks questions. She loves science and she cannot wait to find out the answer to the question, “Do dogs eat vegetables?” Cece and her best friend, Isaac, tackle this question for their school project. Using the steps of science (brainstorming, asking questions, experimenting, and more) the answer soon is clear. Or is it? Cece learns that sometimes your first answer is not the only one. Overall the […]
