Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Arena (Salsa Lullaby) portrays a group of schoolchildren cultivating a culture of generosity in this pay-it-forward picture book. Alongside a starting phrase--"Sometimes bad things happen"-- Jomepour Bell (Our Favorite Day of the Year) paints a child whose blue hair ribbon blows away in a rainy gust of wind. Another kid, passing by with a wrapped gift, promptly unties the box's ribbon and passes it over. "Give what you have," a line reads. A second spread focuses more closely on the two, conveying the new bond that giving has wrought. They join classmates portrayed with varying skin tones entering a school building in companionable pairs. "Sometimes we get cold.// Give warmth," accompanies an image of the child with the new hair ribbon draping their own fuzzy scarf around a shivering schoolmate, who later passes their pencil to a teacher to replace one that has snapped ("Sometimes something breaks.// Give something new"). Via simple lines and saturated, stroke-heavy art, the considerate cast places readers in a classroom where mutual care and its pleasures are part of the fabric of togetherness: "The good you do comes back to you." Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Jennifer Mattson, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator's agent: Christy Tugeau Ewers, CAT Agency. (Aug.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
This story begins on the title page, where a gift-wrapped package sits on a white background. The following wordless double-page spread shows an outdoor street scene, where an adult hands the package to a child while a second child passes by. The two kids meet up on this rainy morning when one loses her hair ribbon to the wind, and the other unties the gift's ribbon and offers it to her. "Sometimes bad things happen. / Give what you have." This act of kindness is the first link in a chain of events throughout the school day. Each double-page spread advances the story, showing the previous recipient engaged in an act of generosity. The spare text clarifies that there are many kinds of gifts to give, including help, time, and attention. And that one wrapped up on the title page? It's a box of cupcakes, a gift for everyone. Bell's (illustrator of To Change a Planet) eye-pleasing textured illustrations feature a diverse classroom and bring liveliness to a story that works nondidactically to instill values of kindness and generosity. Maeve Visser KnothSeptember/October 2023 p.45 (c) Copyright 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
Small kindnesses make a big difference in this pay-it-forward story. Two children walk to school on a blustery day, one holding a tall yellow box tied with pink ribbon. Oh no! The other's blue hair ribbon is blown away--"Sometimes bad things happen." And the pink ribbon is handed over. "Give what you have." Using this simple construction, each subsequent spread tells a microstory, depicting a person who encounters a problem ("Sometimes something breaks") on the verso and the previous recipient of help providing a kind solution ("Give something new") on the recto. The minimal text has a lovely, spare feeling; the problems are simple, ranging from spilled milk to being lonely, though some feel more poetic than others. Spread over the course of a single day in a community that includes a school and a park, they emphasize noticing, understanding, and making connections. Oil paintings in earthy colors create texture and whimsy, suggesting a simpler time when kids walked to school and flew kites in the park without adult supervision. The children are diverse in terms of skin tone and hair texture. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An appealing addition to the growing number of books on kindness and community. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
