Review by Booklist Review
Jointly known as Kerascoët, the creators of I Walk with Vanessa (2018) team up here to create another wordless story promoting tolerance. A young boy brings his art portfolio to school, laying out his masterpieces on a bench for his friends to admire. Nearby, classmate Alex is involved in a fierce game of basketball. One of Alex's tosses goes wild, slamming into the bench and knocking the artist's drawings into a puddle. The creator is devastated by this loss, and his classmates unite to ostracize Alex. Then Alex apologizes, and his sincere regrets are accepted, leading to a new friendship with surprisingly shared interests. The ink-and-watercolor cartoon illustrations include double-page spreads as well as smaller, unframed scenes that help move the narrative along. Much of the color is muted, but red is used effectively to focus attention on details like the artist's backpack and Alex's hair, shorts, and ball. Facial expressions are particularly apt in conveying emotions. Appended with an authors' note discussing conflicts and forgiveness, this will be a useful addition to character-education lessons.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Like Kerascoët's I Walk with Vanessa, this wordless story unfolds in a busy schoolyard where small children navigate a conflict with compassion. During recess, a pink-skinned youth sets treasured drawings on a schoolyard bench while a lively game of basketball goes on nearby. Dribbling and dodging without making a pass, a red-haired, pale-skinned child--presumably Alex--sends the basketball sailing right onto the bench, tumbling the drawings into a puddle and ruining them. In a series of affecting vignettes that move from the playground to the classroom and lunchroom, the pupils, depicted with varying skin tones, throng the victim with sympathy and shun Alex--until, at end of day, the artist approaches Alex, and the two make amends. Almost no adults are involved in this slow-burn portrait of regret and forgiveness, and the children's tiny figures and comical expressions sweeten the tale's tricky emotional encounters. Back matter offers "What to Do" lists for "When You Hurt Someone" and "If You Are the Person Who Was Hurt," drawing the story's events closer to the real world and making difficult words seem easier to say. Ages 4--8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (July)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--The authors known collectively as Kerascoët (I Walk with Vanessa) here provide a stunning wordless guidebook to the steps toward understanding and forgiveness. Bright watercolors, mood, facial expressions, and body language convey the various emotions that play out among students outside during recess. With smiles on their faces, they participate in various games such as basketball, marbles, and splashing through puddles. Groups of friends are engaged in their own activities until a red-haired child, Alex, carelessly dribbles a basketball and launches it into the air, accidentally ruining another student's art project. Shock and fear appear on each child's face and the focus is then on Alex, on the wrong end of angry stares from the other classmates. His joy turns to sadness and then embarrassment once he realizes what he has done, and he finds himself excluded from after-school playtime. His remorse is clearly shown. The art project's owner is the first to approach Alex, and the others follow. The next day, Alex tries to make up for his carelessness with a gift; a picture of Alex and his new buddy playing basketball with big smiles on their faces. At the end of the story are suggestions for adults helping children navigate these difficult, necessary choices. VERDICT A wonderful lesson in forgiveness and inclusion, and a fine choice for independent circulation.--Kerra Mazzariello
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Another wordless tale of compassion from the husband-and-wife creators of I Walk With Vanessa (2018). Rowdy young Alex bounds across the crowded schoolyard with a basketball, swiping and swishing it away from others. Another group of students nearby are carefully studying a youngster's art pages. The two groups collide when a sudden, overzealous throw by Alex accidentally knocks the pages into a puddle. The children go indoors, but everyone remembers the incident. The young artist is feeling down, and classmates are seen glaring and scowling at Alex throughout the day. Resolution takes emotional work from both sides: One must be brave to apologize; the other must be open to forgiveness. The two tots work it out, with a surprise, heartfelt reparation sealing the deal. The watercolor-and-ink artwork makes effective use of white space, alternating full pages with vignettes. The wordless format lends itself expertly to introspection. As readers look closely at the characters' expressions to parse out the plot, they'll feel the emotions right along with them, though this outing takes a bit more examination than the duo's previous work. The two main characters are both White, while the surrounding class is diverse. Notes on conflict resolution are appended, directed both to children and adults. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A unique perspective that highlights both sides of a disagreement. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
