Review by New York Times Review
Bruce, a grumpy bear, hates everything except eggs. He's about to cook some up when they hatch into goslings right on his stove. Naturally, they think he's their mother. Higgins turns classic picture-book scenarios upside down, then wrings them for contemporary laughs : Bruce sullenly wears the goslings in a baby sling; they grow into teenagers in headphones. When they can't grasp the concept of migration, he makes the best of it and they head by bus to Miami, as a very modern family. MIXED ME! By Taye Diggs. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans. 32 pp. Feiwel & Friends. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 7) The versatile actor Diggs and the accomplished Evans - childhood friends who also collaborated on "Chocolate Me!" - take a refreshingly jazzy look at a mixed-race child's world. Mike has a joyous grin, ebullient hair, a dark-skinned dad and a lighthued mom. "Sometimes when we're together / people stare at whatever," he reports. Not to worry: He knows the fun in life is in how you mix it up. Evans's effervescent collages are an ideal match for the riffing, self-possessed voice Diggs gives Mike. TWO IS ENOUGH By Janna Matthies. Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning. 40 pp. Running Press. $15.95. (Picture book; ages 3 to 6) Families of two star in this smoothly rhyming trip through the seasons. The title serves also as a refrain, as we see four pairs enjoying each other's exclusive company: a dad and daughter; dad and son; mom and daughter; and grandma and grandchild. They plant seeds, ride bikes, tidy up, play Go Fish. Each sweetly illustrated page is just a glimpse of everyday life, but for children in two-person families surrounded by bigger clans, also a reminder of the immense love in their own homes, too. THE LITTLE TREE By Muon Van. Illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi. 32 pp. Creston Books. $16.95. (Picture book; ages 3 to 7) Van ("In a Village by the Sea") tells the sad, lovely tale of a tree who realizes that the forest she lives in is shrinking. Worried, she asks a bird if trees do better in other places. The answer is yes, and the tree must decide whether she should let her little seed go in the hopes of a better life. As an author's note about Van's Vietnamese-American family spells out, this parable about emigration explores the excruciating decision many parents face to let children go into an unknown culture that has more to offer. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MY SISTER? Written and illustrated by Simona Ciraolo. 40 pp. Flying Eye Books. $17.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) A winsome little narrator is out to solve a mystery that lurks in any family with a sizable age gap between siblings: Her older sister is transformed, seemingly overnight. New habits, new friends, a new body - has she been replaced? Ciraolo ("Hug Me") adds amusing details to her fetching, expressive illustrations, showing just how much adolescence changes a family's landscape. It ends on a welcome note as the big sister grasps the younger girl's distress and reaches out. ONLINE An expanded visual presentation of this week's column at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [December 6, 2015]
Review by Booklist Review
Diggs and Evans follow Chocolate Me! (2011) with another joyful story about embracing who you are. For the millions of mixed-race Americans who have to endure the constant questioning of their identity, Mixed-Up Mike has an answer: I'm a beautiful blend of dark and light, / I was mixed up perfectly, / and I'm JUST RIGHT! Mike has ochre skin and a bouncy, ginger-colored afro that he loves, even though it makes people look at him funny. He exudes energy and confidence, his parents adore him, and he is friends with everyone, setting doubters straight when they try to make him align himself with one race: There are so many flavors / to savor and taste! / Why pick only one / color or face? Pages of bright colors and expressive faces match Mike's ebullient personality and distract from the text's clumsy rhymes. The story's joyful message will resonate with multiracial readers and their families, leaving them with the cheeky takeaway: if you have a problem with me, it's your problem.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"See, my dad's a deep brown and my mom's rich cream and honey. Then people see me, and they look at us funny." Diggs and Evans follow 2011's Chocolate Me! with a boy's utterly self-confident ode to his family and himself. Mike has his mother's red hair, and it spills across the pages like a cumulus crowd as he races around the neighborhood and the soccer field-this is a boy on the move. Mike's unerring sense of self ("I'm a beautiful blend of dark and light") and the powerful love that surrounds him make this a rewarding, valuable read for families of any makeup. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-A little boy with wildly curly hair navigates the social terrain of being a biracial child. Diggs's short, choppy, rhyming verses convey the busyness of a kid who likes "to go FAST!" All through his day he encounters people staring and asking questions. "See, my dad's a deep brown and my mom's rich cream and honey. Then people see me, and they look at us funny." Diggs very adeptly conveys the feelings a mixed child experiences and also brings a message of acceptance without being didactic. Evans's mixed-media watercolor and pencil illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this well-written, fun story of acceptance, friendship, and love. The text, colors, and design make this a good choice for read-alouds, but there are many details in the artwork (usually containing the word mixed or a synonym thereof) that make it good for one-on-one sharing. VERDICT A stellar first purchase and a necessary book for all collections.-Jennifer Steib Simmons, Anderson County Library, SC © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This book about Mike, whose parents affirm that he is a "just right" blend of races even as peers pressure him to "choose who I cruise with," celebrates mixed-race identity and joyful individuality. Evans's collage art is abundant in meaningful, kid-friendly detail; a bouncy, free-flowing text with internal rhymes keeps the story high-energy. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Some kids call him "Mixed-up Mike," but the protagonist makes clear that he isn't mixed-up at alljust mixed. With his curly, red zigzag hair, tan skin and green eyes, Mike likes to skateboard and go fast inside and outside, wearing a colorful patchwork cape. The kids at school tell him that his parents don't match, and other people stare at them when they're out as a family. But Mike loves his deep-brown, bald-headed dad and his cream-and-honey, red-haired mom, and clearly they love him too. What's more, they declare that they mixed Mike perfectly "and got you JUST RIGHT!" Mike's confidence in his own appearance and coolness as well as the way he proudly embodies diversity, including a certain level of androgyny, make this a refreshing read. Evans' integration of rough-textured fabrics into lively and colorful mixed-media illustrations will make readers want to reach out and touch them. Readers will also find this an easy book to set to music or rap, thanks to its rhyme and cadence. The takeaway message remains one that all children need to embrace: "I'm doing my thing, so don't forget it. / If you don't get it, then you don't get it." If all kids had the confidence about who they are that Mike has, what a wonderful world this would be. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
