Books | Page 16 of 82

You So Black, a niche poetic book that some Black kids need to see

I’m not really equipped to adequately review You So Black. Any book or service that has intentional grammar misuse or spelling is something that immediately stops progress in my mind. If you’re a car donation service or daycare, then intentionally misspelling your name is just lazy, but can also be effective. You So Black falls into that category too due to its grammar and the fact that it’s a poetry book. However, this illustrated book is a bit more complicated than that. You So Black is based on its performance at the 2019 Trumpet Awards. Theresa Wilson passionately performed a poem along these lines that was met with a rapt response from the crowd and the internet.

You So Black, an illustrated, poetic book about being Black for young audiences that’s based on the 2019 Trumpet Awards performance.

Ethnic positivity for those who need it

How to Send a Hug, it’s sweet but feels about 20 years too late

Don Quixote putting a stamp on the windmill. I mentioned that metaphor to my wife and she gave me the look that basically said ‘what the heck am I rambling about?’. I get that sometimes. How to Send a Hug is a very cute illustrated book that seems like the sibling to A Penny’s Worth. Unlike that book, the MacGuffin in How to Send a Hug is a letter, and it’s not the letter Q. This is the postal service, as in I have to send this eBay package to its buyer-so I’ll see you in two hours. I know, I should buy a scale here and print my own postage, but back to the book!

How to Send a Hug is a sweet testament to giving and receiving letters in the mail, but its concept might be too close to the telegram for young readers.

The book and concept are cute, the subject matter might put some adults off

The Sun Is Late And So Is The Farmer, hello to a new classic

Quirky is an interesting adjective and depending on specifically how it’s used could mean subtle, but different things. The Sun Is Late And So Is The Farmer is a quirky story in all of the right ways. The book is aimed at those pre-k through second-grade kids, and because they’re most likely not reading this review I’ll call the book a word that could cause derision and mockery in those circles. This is a charming book. That sounds like a word that you’d use when you don’t know how to describe something, but you’re implying that it’s a cute book for babies.

The Sun Is Late And So Is The Farmer is a timeless classic of an illustrated book about adventure and friendship, in your backyard.

Say hello to a book that’ll never leave your library

The Power of Architecture, a love letter for those building curious kids

Being a substitute primary school teacher I know what schools look like, and sadly, most of them look the same. If you work in an office building you probably know what they look like too and I’d bet that most of them are cookie-cutter-tastic. I’m not naïve, I realize that architecture, especially those that make a statement, come at a price of either money, land, resources or a combination thereof. The Power of Architecture: 25 Modern Buildings from Around the World is an illustrated book for curious kids that want to explore how things are and the way that they could be.

The Power of Architecture: 25 Modern Buildings from Around the World is an oversized look at unique buildings across the globe that makes a statement.

It only looks high brow…… it’s really for ages 8 and up

I Can Explain, cartoon-inspired lunacy on bad habits that teach a lesson via laughter

When I was a kid I wouldn’t talk for a couple of hours because I liked to imagine that I had a finite amount of words that I could speak on a given day. And if I was to use up my words with something silly, then that would just be wasteful, and my parents wouldn’t have liked that, would they? I Can Explain is an illustrated book from that same vein of illogical thinking that makes perfect sense if you’re a kid.

I Can Explain is a surreal look at how kids (and people) illogically excuse bad habits. It’s done via laughter in a way that ages 5 and up will howl over.

Don’t try to explain, just enjoy

Moving Forward, non-fiction illustrated that’s uncomfortable and inspiring

Illustrated books have the capacity to move us emotionally, in addition to making us think. Non-fiction illustrated books are capable of doing that but have the added burden of being a true story. Personally, I think that’s because some students heard that illustrated books were meant exclusively for silly stories about growing up or softly teaching morals. Moving Forward is an illustrated book that does all of those things, except for the silly stories part. Instead of that, it uses action, speed, and adventure that’ll help bring in elementary-aged readers.

Moving Forward is a non-fiction illustrated book that blends, adventure, family, rage, justice and the passage of time into something that fifth-grade students can learn from.

History happened, have kids read about it

Dazzlin’ Dolly, as empowering and entertaining as illustrated books can be

Have you seen the Whitney Houston clip where she was recounting how Kevin Costner sole her on the idea of re-recording I Will Always Love You? Apparently, he really enjoyed country music and had presented the 1974 original song from Dolly Parton to Houston as an option for the movie that the two of them were making. The rest is history. Houston had the biggest song of her career and the first cultural renaissance of Dolly Parton had begun, not that she ever went anywhere. Dazzlin’ Dolly is an illustrated book that provides elementary school audiences with a great overview of her early life.

Dazzlin’ Dolly is an illustrated book looking at the early life of one of pop culture’s most generous and endearing influences, Dolly Parton.

The childhood and tribulations of her early years

The One and Only Sparkella Makes A Plan, more meh with a little STEM

How this end-cap book at Target escaped us in 2022 is a mystery. The One and Only Sparkella Makes A Plan is the sequel to 2021’s New York Times-bestselling book, The One and Only Sparkella. It’s from Channing Tatum with illustrations by Kim Barnes and follows most of the same path as its successful sibling. The curveball in Makes A Plan is that she’s having a sleepover that evening and she wants to build a castle.

The One and Only Sparkella Makes A Plan, aka, Sparkella #2, infuses a little bit of STEM into this celebrity-author powered girl series.

If you know and liked the first one then this is your jam