Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Personal characteristics that are sometimes seen as vulnerabilities prove valuable in moments of adversity, hints this work inspired by a memorable line from Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time: " 'Stay angry, little Meg,' Mrs. Whatsit whispered. 'You will need all your anger now.' " In straightforward digital spreads by Chan (Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School), a group of pupils portrayed with various abilities and skin tones listens to their teacher read from L'Engle's book. Next, the children encounter events that require their resistance. In the first, two students discover a chain-link fence around a park, with a sign that reads "Mall coming soon." The next spread shows the duo in the library doing research about community gardens and fighting deforestation ("Anger helps you know what needs to change," an attendant line reads). On another spread, a television newscast reads "Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills," viewed by a family whose child is shown the following day heading a march with classmates ("Stay stubborn, little girl"). Sensitivity, curiosity, loudness, kindness, and playfulness are also embraced in this leanly hortatory accounting of values. Ages 3--5. Illustrator's agent: Jemiscoe Chambers-Black, Andrea Brown Literary. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Girls harness their anger to make positive change. Midway through the 1962 classic A Wrinkle in Time, the late L'Engle writes: "'Stay angry, little Meg,' Mrs Whatsit whispered. 'You will need all your anger now.'" Chan uses this quote as a rallying cry to inspire readers, dedicating this book "to all the Meg Murrys." The opening spread features a group of girls diverse in terms of race and ability listening to a librarian read from L'Engle's novel while a sign propped up on a nearby bookshelf states, "Books unite us, censorship divides us." While the text is more exhortation than narrative, the digital illustrations suggest a wordless story that begins with two girls looking askance at a field filled with tree stumps enclosed by a fence bearing a sign that reads, "Park closed, mall coming soon!" and ends with an image of a newly created park and an inclusive community garden, a result of the girls using their anger for good. Along the way, the bold, cheerful illustrations depict girls researching deforestation at the library, marching in support of LGBTQ+ rights, staying curious (a girl using a wheelchair studies renewable energy), welcoming others (a girl in a hijab eating alone is invited to join other girls at lunch), singing, and playing. Chan reclaims the famous L'Engle quote--which was excised from the movie adaptation--and gives girls a full-throated endorsement to be true to themselves. Empowering. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
