Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Stationed at the bottom of a traffic signal by the sea, sweet-faced Greenlight sees all the brightly colored, square-shaped vehicles speeding beneath it, but it feels deeply unappreciated and often left alone. "They stop for Redlight. They slow for Yellowlight," it complains. "But me? It's like they can't get away fast enough." Fed up, Greenlight stops shining, closing its googly eyes to shut out the world. But this self-imposed time-out actually proves salutary. In detailed cut-paper collage art that employs primary and secondary hues to render a green-space landscape populated with variously diverse human figures, Carzoo (Lou) depicts the moment as a meditative state that allows Greenlight to move through a series of affirmations: "You'll know when you're ready./ Take your time./ The world is waiting to see you shine." Realizing that it doesn't need others' approval ("All this time I thought/ if they didn't like me, I couldn't like me!"), and taking the occasion to center itself, Greenlight opens its eyes and signals "GO!!!" Right away, the piled-up traffic awaiting its sign clarifies just how important Greenlight is. With a wink of humor and a lot of heart, it's a story that sheds a moving light, so to speak, on powerful mantras of self-acceptance, awareness, and appreciation. Ages 4--8. Agent: Adria Goetz, Martin Literary. (July)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--The book's cover is colorful and appealing, and the green light herself has tons of personality. She's recently taken to feeling bad about her work and, thus, herself. The red light makes everyone stop; yellow urges caution. Both of those are important jobs. Green light tells the cars to "go" and then is left behind, leaving her down in the dumps. The story, however, has no real believable resolution. Nothing can be done about this situation and there is no pivotal transformation to satisfy readers that the green light has changed. Perhaps the use of anthropomorphism precludes noting the importance of the lights in the real world and the dire consequences of ignoring them. VERDICT It seems there is a mismatch in this book. Using traffic lights to address the topic of feelings through inanimate objects does not immediately jump to mind. Books like Jacqueline Woodson's Each Kindness are far better suited to the task.--Joan Kindig
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Is it fair that everyone stops for the red light, slows down for the yellow…but at the first sign of green just zooms away? Carzoo, staunch defender of the lowly fireplug Lou (2022), champions another essential infrastructural stalwart. "I used to think I was super bright, and sparkly, and spectacular…but every time I share my light with the world," grumbles the traffic signal, "it's like they can't get away from me fast enough." Well, "I'm done shining!" Rendered with utmost simplicity in the flat paper collage pictures, the dissed disk closes its googly eyes--and discovers that being alone in the dark offers peace, quiet…and a chance to take stock (in words addressed as much to similarly discouraged readers): "There's nothing wrong with you. You're a good light." And when the realization that being liked by others is less important than liking oneself turns out to be literally eye-opening, the discovery of a massive pileup of waiting traffic on the road below keys both a refreshed sense of agency and an exhilarating climactic "GO!!!" that irresistibly invites young audiences to holler along…and to let their own lights shine. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A stopper for readers ready…and set to…GO! (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
