Papa, Daddy and Riley by Seamus Kirst

Papa, Daddy, & Riley

Seamus Kirst, Author

Devon Hozwarth, Illustrator

Magination Press, Fiction, 2020

Suitable for ages: 4-8

Themes: Families, Love, Diversity, Gay fathers, LGBTQ+

Opening: “On the first day of school, my parents walked me to my classroom. My friends were being dropped off by their families, too….I was with my dads.”

Book Jacket Synopsis:

Riley is Papa’s princess and Daddy’s dragon. She love her two fathers! When Riley’s classmate asks her which dad is her real one, Riley is confused. She doesn’t want to have to pick one or the other.

Families are made of love in this heartwarming story that shows there a lots of ways to be part of one.

Why I like Papa, Daddy, and Riley:

Seamus Kirst has written a sweet story about different families that is both contemporary and realistic. It is an important book for young children as it demonstrates how curious, open and honest kids are with each other. When Olive sees Riley’s two fathers on the first day of school, she asks, “So, which one is your dad dad? And where is your mom?” The question confuses and upsets Riley. She has to choose? Both Daddy and Papa reassure Riley that she doesn’t have to choose and tell her that “Love makes a family.”

This is the first time I’ve seen the expression “belly mommy” in reference to the woman who gives birth to Riley. This is a nice inclusion. Riley even has a picture of her. (This meant a lot to me because we adopted two children and I always wished we had photographs of their birth mothers.) 

The different family representations throughout this book, will suit many families. Some kids have one parent, some have two. Some families have stepparents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents who care for them. Some kids have foster parents. Kids need to see their families represented in books. That is why this book is so important.

Devon Holzwarth’s beautiful illustrations are rendered in bright pastels and watercolors. The children’s facial expressions and body language are spot on and so truth to life. The pages are filled with different family representations. I love the diversity.

Resources: This book is a resource. It will prompt many interesting discussions among many different or diverse families.  

Seamus Kirst is a writer who work has been published in The Washington Post, The Guardian, Teen Vogue, Forbes, The Advocate, and Vice. He has always loved reading picture books and is still in slight disbelief he has published one of his own. He is absolutely honored to be able to contribute to LGBTQ representation that he wished he could have read and seen when he was young. He lives in New York with his two cats, Sugar Baby and Bernie Sanders.  Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @SeamusKirst or on Facebook @seamuspatrickkirst. 

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

 

*Copy provided by Magination Press in ecchange for a review. 

 

 

Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee

Tiger Honor (A Thousand Worlds Novel)

Yoon Ha Lee

Rick Riordan Presents / Disney Hyperion, Fiction, Jan. 4, 2022

Suitable for ages: 8-12

Pages: 248

Themes: Families, Loyalty, Honor, Space adventure, Korean Mythology, Shapeshifting, Magic, Ghosts, Fantasy, Science fiction

Book Jacket Synopsis:

Sebin is a young tiger spirit from the Juhwang Clan who wants nothing more than to join the Thousand Worlds Space Forces and, like their uncle Hwan, captain a battle cruiser someday.  But when Sebin’s acceptance letter finally arrives, it’s accompanied by the shocking news that Hwan has been declared a traitor. Apparently the captain abandoned his duty in order to steal a magical artifact, the Dragon Pearl, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Sebin hopes to help clear their hero’s name and restore honor to the clan.

Nothing goes according to plan, however. As soon as 13-year-old Sebin arrives for orientation, they are met by a special investigator named Yi and Yi’s assistant, a girl named Min. Yi informs Sebin that they must immediately report to the ship Haetae and await further instructions. Sebin finds this highly unusual, but soon all protocol is forgotten when there’s an explosion on the ship, the crew is knocked out, and the communication system goes down. It’s up to Sebin, three other cadets, and Yi and Min to determine who is sabotaging the battle cruiser. When Sebin is suddenly accused of collaborating with the enemy, the cadet realizes that the most dangerous for of all is … Min.

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Yoon Ha Lee’s companion to the best-selling and award-winning DRAGON PEARL, another space opera inspired by Korean mythology, this time told from the point of view of a nonbinary tiger spirit.

Why I like Tiger Honor:

Tiger Honor is a riveting, high-adventure sequel to Yoon Ha Lee’s Dragon Pearl.  This is her second Rick Riordan Presents novel and another “space opera meets Korean mythology.” It is crafted out of Korean mythological themes. The mythology is never fully explained in this compelling story, because it is the foundation for the world and characters. The world-building is seamless.

The stakes are high in Tiger Honor, when an explosion leaves the new cadets in charge of the battle cruiser and trying to figure out who’s their enemy. But much more sinister things are happening behind the scenes. So Sebin’s first day on the ship starts of with an explosion that injures the captain and crew, and the new cadets are left to fend for themselves. 

Sebin is a nonbinary tiger spirit eager to join the Space Forces like his Uncle Hwan. He can change from his human form into his native tiger shape. He has a keen sense of smell and heightened hearing. Sebin has integrity because he’s grown up in a strong and strict Tiger clan that emphasizes rules, loyalty, honesty and grooms true warriors in martial arts. Min is a courageous character who is a fox spirit with heightened senses and clever charms that distract and manipulate people. Sebin and Min don’t trust each other, but are both dedicated to figuring out who sabotaged the battle cruiser. I enjoyed not completely guessing the ending and won’t give away any spoilers.

Lee handles gender neutral variances as an accepted fact of life. Cadets in the Thousand World’s Space Force wear pronoun pins that tell them how to address each other. Many of the characters in Tiger Honor are nonbinary.  Lee also addresses racism through the tension between the supernatural beings, like ghosts, foxes, and tigers. 

There is a mystery surrounding former general Hwan’s betrayal of the Space Forces in Dragon Pearl, and his scheming and treacherous activities in Tiger Honor, that will keep readers engaged. I was disappointed that more of the story from Dragon Pearl wasn’t shared with readers in Tiger Honor, which is it’s own story. I had to read the end chapters of the first book to remind myself of the details. 

I recommend Tiger Honor to lovers of science fiction, fantasy mythology and space adventures. It will transport you to a world far beyond your imagination.  I’m sure there will be another sequel!

Yoon Ha Lee is a Korean American who grew up in both Texas and South Korea, learning folktales of wily foxes, shapeshifting tigers and benevolent dragons. Lee was inspired to about tigers and foxes in space because everything is better in space. Lee is the author of NYT bestseller Dragon Pearl and is also the author of the adult book Phoenix Extravagant and Machineries of Empire trilogy: Ninefox Gambit, Raven Stratagem, and Revenant Gun. Visit him at this website or on Twitter @deuceofgears,

Greg Pattridge hosts Marvelous Middle Grade Monday posts on his wonderful Always in the Middle website. Check out the link to see all of the wonderful reviews by KidLit bloggers and authors.

*Reviewed by a library copy.

 

This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration

This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration

Jacqueline Woodson, Author

James Ransome, Illustrator

Nancy Paulsen Books, Fiction, Aug. 29, 2013

Suitable for Ages: 5-8

Theme: Migration of African-Americans north, Jump rope, Family, Moving

Opening:  “This is the rope my grandmother found beneath an old tree a long time ago back home in South Carolina. This is the rope by grandmother skipped under the shade of a sweet-smelling pine.”

Book Jacket Synopsis: When a little girl in South Carolina finds a rope under a tree, she has no idea it will become part of her family’s history. But for three generations, that rope is passed down, used for everything from jump rope games to tying suitcases onto a car for the big move north to New York City, and even for a family reunion where that first little girl is now a grandmother.

Why I like this story: Jacqueline Woodson calls This is the Rope a fictive memoir. She writes a very lyrical and engaging story based on the dreams of the many African-Americans who journeyed from the south to northern cities from the 1900s to mid 1970s to find better jobs and lives for their families.  Woodson’s mother and father left South Carolina in 1968 and moved to Brooklyn. I like how she uses the image of the rope repeatedly as a symbol of family linking one generation to the next. Ransome’s rich and colorful oil paintings vividly highlight scenes of the south and north in an uplifting manner.  His double-page spreads  are filled with expression and details of each period of history. This is a beautiful collaborative book by Woodson and Ransome. Visit Jacqueline Woodson at her website.

Resources:  There is an author’s note in the beginning of the book that talks about the great migration of African-American families. Woodson has a teacher’s guide on her website about using her books in the classroom.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.

Pictures from our Vacation

Pictures from our Vacation

Lynne Rae Perkins, author and illustrator

Greenwillow Books, 2007, Fiction

Suitable for:  Grade 2-5

Themes:  Vacation, Photography, Family Reunion, Memories, Souvenirs

Opening/Synopsis:  “Just before we got in the car to go on our vacation, our mother said, ‘Oh, I almost forgot!’  From her bag she pulled out a little camera for me, and one for my brother.  Our mom gave us notebooks to stick them in.  ‘They will be souvenirs of our vacation,’ she said.”  The family is traveling by car to visit the farm where their grandparents are spending the summer.  The brother and sister chronicle their trip.  The trip starts out rather boring, a long drive, snapshots of feet,  the back of Dad’s head, a hill and a lot of rain.  When they arrive, their grandparents are waiting to greet them.  They soon learn there will be a memorial service for their great-aunt.  Other cars arrive filled with family members.  There are a lot of cousins to play with, trees to climb, and games to play.

Why I like this book:  It is a great idea to let kids chronicle their trip with pictures.  The trip is a more realistic portrayal of real vacations, boredom, disappointment, fun and family love.   But the brother and sister discover the best memories are the ones they make with family and hold in their minds.  Lynne Rae Perkins has written and illustrated an engaging story for children with a unique message.   The illustrations are in bright water colors.  She won a Newbery Medal for her book Criss Cross.  Resources:  Give your kids cameras, a notebook, pens and crayons and encourage them to make a vacation book, or a book about their summer.  Great exercise in taking pictures and writing a summer story.

Goyangi Means Cat – Perfect Picture Book

Goyangi Means Cat

Christine McDonnell, Author

Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, illustrators

Viking, 2011, Fiction

Suitable for:  Ages 3 and up

Themes:  Adoption, Families, Cats, Friendship, Language

Opening/Synopsis:  “When Soo Min came from Korea to her new home in America, she spoke no English.  Her new family knew just a few Korean words.  Mok-da – eat.  Chim-dae – bed.  Bahp – rice.  Jip – house.  In the first few days, Soo Min quickly taught them more words: Anyah – no! when she didn’t want to go to bed. Ah-po – hurt, when she scraped her knee.  Gom – teddy bear, which she carried in the hood of her jacket. Po-po – kiss, a gift she gave her parents.   Best of all was Goyangi — the cat.”   This is a very sweet story about Soo Min and the adjustments she has to make coming to live with her new parents.   Soo Min loved Goyangi right away and followed the cat everywhere.  Goyangi curls up on her bed at night and helps to lessen her anxiety.   Soo Min is not afraid when Goyangi is with her. It is through her relationship with Goyangi, that Soo Min finds her place with her new parents and in her new  home.

Why I like this book:  I am partial to books for kids who have been adopted from other countries.  We adopted our son from India in 1985.   It is such a learning curve for all involved.   Like Soo Min, our son attached himself to our dogs.  And, I remember how we learned more from him, as he pointed out things in his native tongue, Tamil.  Christine McDonnell has done a lovely job of incorporating Korean words into the entire book, so that children will learn a little Korean.   The lovely illustrations, by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher, are warm collages that highlight the colorful textiles that decorate the walls and furniture throughout the pages, lending an Eastern-western look.

Activities:  I found the most useful activities for parents adopting older children at the Administrations for Children and Families website for foster and adoptive families.  Creating a Life Book, is one good example.  There are also support organizations for families who have done international adoptions.

To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.  Or click on the Perfect Picture Book Fridays  badge in the right sidebar.