National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpre Illustrator Award winner Rafael Lopez have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2014 National Book Award winner for her
New York Times bestselling memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, which was
also a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor,
the NAACP Image Award and a Sibert Honor. She received the Jane
Addams Children's Book Award and is a four-time Newbery Honor
winner, a three-time National Book Award finalist, and a two-time
Coretta Scott King Award winner. Her books include The Other Side,
Each Kindness, Coming On Home Soon, Feathers, Show Way, After Tupac
and D Foster, and Miracle's Boys. She received the Margaret A.
Edwards Award for lifetime achievement for her contributions to
young adult literature.
Rafael L pez won Pura Belpre medals for Drum Dream Girl and Book
Fiesta, and has also received three Pura Belpre honors, two
Americas Book Awards, and the 2017 Tomas Rivera Children's Book
Award and Society of Illustrators Original Art Silver Medal. His
work has been featured in Communication Arts, American Illustration
Annual, Graphic Design USA and Huffington Post. He's a founder of
San Diego's Urban Art Trail movement, created seven US Postal
Stamps, and created official posters for the '08 and '12
Obama-Biden campaigns.
* “National Book Award winner and national treasure Jacqueline
Woodson teams up with two-time Pura Belpré Award recipient Rafael
López to deliver an empowering message to any child who has ever
felt too different. . . . Woodson and López offer a needed message
of comfort to preschool and early elementary students. Woodson's
lulling free verse reassures the reader that the world will ‘make
some space,’ while López's dreamy, near-translucent mixed-media
illustrations thrum with playful joy. This gentle, powerful ode to
diversity and acceptance belongs with all children.”—Shelf
Awareness, starred review
* “A beautiful and inclusive story that encourages children to
find the beauty in their own lives and share it with the world. . .
. Each child feels very alone until they begin to share their
stories and discover that it is nearly always possible to find
someone a little like you. López’s vibrant illustrations bring the
characters’ hidden and unspoken thoughts to light with fantastic,
swirling color. Shifting hues and textures across the page convey
their deep loneliness and then slowly transition into bright
hopeful possibilities. Full-bleed illustrations on every page are
thick with collaged patterns and textures that pair perfectly with
melodic prose that begs to be read aloud. . . . There’s an
essential acknowledgment that everyone will experience a time when
no one is quite like them, when they can’t find their voice, or
when they feel very alone. Woodson’s superlative text sees each
character turn that moment of desolation into an opportunity to be
brave and find hope in what they have in common. This masterful
story deserves a place in every library.”—School Library Journal,
starred review
* “A bright jewel-toned palette and clever details, including a
literal reflection of a better future, reveal hope and pride. . . .
This reassuring, lyrical book feels like a big hug from a wise aunt
as she imparts the wisdom of the world in order to calm
trepidatious young children: One of these things is not like the
other, and that is actually what makes all the difference. A
must-have book about the power of one’s voice and the friendships
that emerge when you are yourself.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred
review
* “Woodson’s poetic lines give power to each child’s experience. .
. . López paints the book’s array of children as students in the
same classroom; patterns and colors on the children’s clothing and
the growing things around them fill the spreads with life.
Woodson’s gentle, lilting story and López’s artistry create a
stirring portrait of the courage it takes to be
oneself.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
* “Woodson’s lyrical text is gently reassuring as it moves
between broad discussion and specific examples of difference and
discomfort, which emphasize children moving across cultures but
will speak to children from all backgrounds and experiences.
Mixed-media illustrations . . . combine bold with soft colors and
textures in a slightly shaded tropical palette; compositions employ
creative and insightful perspectives to suit the characters’
feelings. . . . The artist frequently incorporates a ruler into the
illustrations, which perhaps speaks to the children’s perceptions
of how they measure up to others. This lovely and sensitive
treatment of adjustment deserves a spot in any collection for
youngsters.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books,
starred review
“Woodson catches the uncertainty, even fear, that comes with new
situations. But her lyrical language also captures the moment when
confidence sparks and friendships are born. . . . The bold, bright
artwork features a diverse cast of kids. . . . The important
message plays out in a striking design that mixes the everyday with
flights of fancy. Woodson, a recent National Ambassador for Young
People’s Literature, is one of kidlit's brightest stars, and this
should find lots of eager hands.”—Booklist
“What will it take for a child who feels different to share her
stories? . . . Like Woodson’s memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, this
story places great value on literacy, reading, and imagination. The
matte-finished pages feature illustrations in vivid, brilliant
colors, with repeated appearances of flying birds and lush, twining
vines and flowers.”—Horn Book
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