Child's play

PreS-Gr 2--Three siblings excel at different art forms. Bespectacled Danny plays the guitar, bob-haired Molly paints, and curly-haired Marcus is a writer. They express emotions through their crafts, though they are not appreciated or understood by their parents and teachers. Due to civil unrest and economic downturn in their Argentinian town, the family must emigrate. Though at first the siblings are frightened, through their art they realize that "home is where the heart is, and the family." The illustrations convey most of the events; the text never explicitly explains why the children are moving. Millán depicts the children's art and dreams as plants: music as leaves, painting as flowers, and words as intricately folded paper blossoms. Although the illustrations are detailed and compelling, the story shifts gears abruptly from one about children who are "in their own little worlds" to a tale about immigration. Because of this, the result is not especially memorable. VERDICT A somewhat disjointed story about creativity and perseverance, helped along by engaging illustrations.--Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA

Danny loves to make music, Molly loves to paint and draw, and Marcus loves to write. The three siblings engage in their creative worlds individually and together, finding refuge from stressors around them and producing songs, stories, poems, and beautiful artwork. Color-rich, collage-infused illustrations (printed on environmentally friendly pages) portray their joyful play, in contrast with protests, conflict, and fighting in the background. The street and protest signs as well as the words on TV appear in the book's original Spanish. The brown-skinned children continue to pursue their passions despite their parents' urging that they stay quiet, and their teachers become concerned that they're not paying attention in school and are isolating themselves. But the children's play is a form of therapy or mechanism for survival, as they seem to be able to shut off the hostile noises of the world around them. When the siblings realize that they need to move to a new, safer house in another country, they become very sad. However, shortly thereafter they conclude that home is where the heart and family are. They then create a warm home in their new residence and continue to be who they are--joyful creative children at play. The most important thing is for them to stay together. A well-crafted, engaging book about resilient childhoods in the face of displacement and conflict. (Picture book. 4-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.