Be boy buzz
Bell Hooks ; illustrated by Chris Raschka

Author: hooks, bell

Celebrates being Bold, All Bliss Boy, All Bad Boy Beast, Boy running, Boy Jumping, Boy Sitting Down, and being in Love With Being a Boy.

New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2002, 32 p.

School Library Journal Review: PreS-Gr 2–An alliterative ode to the snips, snails, and puppy-dog tails gender. The syncopated text suits the subject well: "I be boy./All bliss boy./All fine beat./All beau boy." It captures children running, jumping, "talking way too loud," and then, "sitting all quiet still." Brown-skinned boys with long, curving arms and curly hair lope and leap across sienna-colored pages; bright squiggles of scribbled design add a geometric counterpoint to the flowing lines of kids with big, open hearts and sweet minds, ready for the world. A wonderful collaboration, this book is as exuberant as the boys it describes.–Anna DeWind Walls, Milwaukee Public Library (Reviewed December 1, 2002) (School Library Journal, vol 48, issue 12, p97)

Publishers Weekly Review: /* Starred Review */ This stunning volume celebrates all things boy. The creators of Happy to Be Nappy set the stage with the bold opening sortie: "I be boy" appears on the left of the spread, paired with a deceptively simple layering of rectangles in blue line that pulsates on the page; opposite, a thoughtful-looking fellow, all elbows and knees slightly bent, seems poised for action. This spare, poetic riff on young manhood plumbs the delights and contradictions of what it means to be a boy—particularly an African-American boy—in a brief handful of sentences and with a few well-placed pastel lines that imply motion and emotion. From boys soaring ("All bliss boy") to boys sulking ("All bad boy beast"—here Raschka conveys the mood with just the right-hand side of a furrowed brow, and two arms seemingly blocking readers from view), at play ("I be boy jumping") and at rest ("all think and dream time"), the words pinpoint boyhood's unflagging energy and exuberance, vulnerability ("Hug me close. Don't let me down") and attitude. Hooks's rhythmic blend of brevity and eloquence launches Raschka's trademark visual haiku. His series of watercolor and pastel portraits set off against a warm cappuccino backdrop conjures fingers and toes, features and squiggles of hair from simple sweeps of his brush, and evokes characters suffused with humanity and tenderness. The graceful design visually balances the spare text, lively portraits and geometric graphics—which harmoniously orbit the spreads. This life-affirming book will have readers as much "in love with being a boy" as are its own utterly irresistible characters. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)
— Staff (Reviewed September 30, 2002) (Publishers Weekly, vol 249, issue 39, p71)

Kirkus Reviews The creators of Happy to Be Nappy (1999) return with a fine companion paean to boy-ness. "I be boy. / All bliss boy. / All fine beat. All beau boy. / Beautiful. / All bad boy beast. / All boy." Hooks's spare text celebrates the many aspects of being a boy, from running and jumping to sitting still and dreaming, the chopped-off declarative sentences creating a jumpy flow that embodies the pent-up energy of preschoolers. Raschka's equally spare illustrations appear on a background of terra-cotta paper, and feature brown-skinned boys pictured as heads and limbs emerging from amorphous clothing depicted as short white lines overlaid with circles and jags of colored lines. The energy and movement conveyed by these lines, complemented by irregular tight boxy squiggles that appear floating on the page, enhances the energetic rhythm of the text. The words march across the page, varying in size and placement to complete the sense of irregular bursts of energy. For the most part, the boy figures appear without relation to one another, with two major exceptions: in one spread—"All boy. Hug me close. Don't let me down"—a boy appears wrapped in the embrace of a nurturing adult; in the next, two boys—"All boy. Big open heart. Sweet mind"—appear with elongated arms joining to create one big circle, harmoniously enclosing two of the boxy energy-squiggles. In all, a pleasing and affirmative visual and textual interpretation of what it means to be a little boy: be boy buzz, indeed. (Picture book. 3-6)
(Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2002)



Other related features:

1. Teaching with Fiction - Letter-Perfect ABC: Books to Reinforce the Alphabet


Other Contributors:
Raschka, Christopher: ill

ISBNs Associated with this Title:
0786808144
0786826339
0786816430
0606328122 : DEMCO Turtleback - Juvenile


Credits:
• Novelist/EBSCO Publishing
• Baker & Taylor
• Booklist, published by the American Library Association
• School Library Journal, A Reed Elsevier Business Information Publication
• Publishers Weekly, A Reed Elsevier Business Information Publication
• Copyright 2005, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
• Added to NoveList: 20021220
• TID: 118467

Happy to be nappy
bell hooks ;[illustrated by ] Chris Raschka

Author: Hooks, Bell

Celebrates the joy and beauty of nappy hair.

New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1999, 1 v.

Publishers Weekly Review: This joyous ode to hair may well restart conversations that began last year with the controversy over Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair. Bubbling over with affection, and injecting a strong self-esteem boost for girls, hooks's ebullient, poetic text celebrates the innate beauty and freedom of hair that's "soft like cotton,/ flower petal billowy soft, full of frizz and fuzz." Waxing poetic about "short tight naps" or "plaited strands all," hooks conjures all the lovely varieties of hairstyles that "let girls go running free." She sings the praises of "girlpie hair," subtly reinforcing her theme with a chorus of descriptive words like "halo" and "crown." She also evokes the intimate warmth of mother-daughter time--"sitting still for hands to brush or braid and make the day start hopefully." A powerful, uplifting and, above all, buoyantly fun read-aloud, the text receives a superb visual interpretation by Raschka (Like Likes Like). A master of minimalism, he works here in nuanced, impressionistic watercolors and suggests his subjects with a quick stroke of the brush here, a graceful sweep of line there. Bolstering the theme of individuality, he provides softly shaded washes of varying hue that set off the dazzling array of hairstyles like an aura and create a rhythmic flow of color across the pages. Broad swoops conjure curls and braids, quick stripes of colors make barrettes, and tiny dots create beads. Though clearly of particular interest to African-American girls, the infectious energy and spirit of this volume will appeal to all readers. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal Review: K-Gr 3-A short, rhythmic tribute to little girls with "nappy" locks. "Girlpie hair smells clean/and sweet/is soft like cotton,/flower petal billowy soft,/full of frizz and fuzz." Raschka's illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the brief, handwritten cursive text. They bring out the spirit behind hooks's writing and have great child appeal. With only watercolor-washed squares as background, the whimsical figures dance and caper. Reduced to the simplest childlike element, they nevertheless convey emotion and movement with the curve of a mouth or the jut of a hip. Using broad brush strokes, the artist creates fantastic hair that curls, whirls, and flows across the page or flips and piles over heads. This title is sure to invite comparisons to Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair (Knopf, 1997). Hooks's text is gentler, a single, almost dreamy, literary voice. It is less personal than the lively call-and-response device found in Herron's book, which is full of the loving, yet pointed teasing of a large, close-knit family. Both authors, in their different ways, have written joyous celebrations that give hair a life of its own and encourage self-acceptance.-Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews Intentionally or not, this short paean to natural, in-all-its-glory hair constitutes a spirited response to the voices raised in protest over Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair (1997). Raschka pairs hook's song praising "girlpie hair . . . for hands to touch and play!/Hair to take the gloom away" with impressionistic compositions of exuberantly dancing children, all sporting inky black locks rendered with calligraphic brush strokes. The big daubs of background color seem to dance and spin with the figures, visual music to match the verbal.
(Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 1999)



Other related features:

1. Teaching with Fiction - All About Me

2. Teaching with Fiction - R-E-S-P-E-C-T... It's What All Children Need to See


Other Contributors:
Raschka, Christopher: ill

ISBNs Associated with this Title:
0786804270
0786823771
0786807563 : Hardcover - Juvenile


Credits:
• Hennepin County Public Library
• Novelist/EBSCO Publishing
• Baker & Taylor
• MetaMetrics, Inc.
• Booklist, published by the American Library Association
• Publishers Weekly, A Reed Elsevier Business Information Publication
• Library Journal, A Reed Elsevier Business Information Publication
• Copyright 2005, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
• Added to NoveList: 20010101
• TID: 110710

Homemade love
by Bell Hooks

Author: hooks, bell

A girl who is Girlpie to her mama and Honey Bun Chocolate Dewdrop to her daddy savors the warmth and love of her family.

New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2001, unpaged

School Library Journal Review: PreS-K–Evans's wonderful illustrations raise this paean to parental love a notch above the ordinary. "My mama calls me girlpie. Her Sweet sweet. Daddy's honey bun chocolate Dew Drop. Homemade Love," says the small African-American narrator. The story line is minimal: her parents love her, even when she does something wrong, and their love supports her, even at night. The rhythm of the words, the smoothness of the text, and the positive message all combine to make a lovely read-aloud, despite a slightly treacly premise. Evans's folksy paintings, done in bright primary colors, are wonderful, with an appealing, dark-skinned, large-eyed little girl wearing dresses decorated with patterns that reflect the story. The artist fills up the pages so completely that readers only see the parents from the waist down for the first half of the book. When the child breaks something, her sorrow is evident, and after everything is all better, "kiss kiss," she goes outside and does cartwheels in the flowers, exuding happiness and a zest for life. An appealing addition for most collections.–Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT (Reviewed December 1, 2002) (School Library Journal, vol 48, issue 12, p97)

Publishers Weekly Review: "My mama calls me girlpie," begins this tender riff on the ties that bind. "Daddy's honey bun chocolate dew drop." When the winsome girl at the story's center breaks a dish ("Everything I do cannot be right. 'Cause there is no all the time right"), her parents are quick to forgive her. Here, the tale makes an abrupt transition, and girlpie is in bed. The book ends with her drifting off to sleep, embraced by the warmth of her family's love ("No need to fear the dark place. 'Cause everywhere is home"). Despite some tender scenes and the exuberance of emotion with which hooks (Be Boy Buzz) invests her poetic prose, the picture book doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts. Evans' (Osceola: Memories of a Sharecropper's Daughter) illustrations go a long way toward making the moments hang together. Her cheerful, splashy paintings display an abundance of affection between the girl and her parents ("Kiss Kiss" accompanies a girlpie sandwich, the parents' faces flanking their daughter's exuberant face) and, immediately after, Evans conveys the rush of relief at having been forgiven ("Let life go on") with the heroine turning cartwheels in a field of flowers. But it may be difficult for readers to determine a theme: Is it a story about forgiveness? About overcoming fear of the dark? Perhaps the overall message of comfort and safety is enough to carry youngsters along in this upbeat hodgepodge of feel-good phrases and images. Ages 4-8. (Dec.)
— Staff (Reviewed November 18, 2002) (Publishers Weekly, vol 249, issue 46, p58)

Kirkus Reviews There is no plot in this paean to parental unconditional love, but one isn't needed; the bold design and bright colors infuse enough energy into the soothing message to keep readers and listeners hooked. Creatively placed, plum-colored type in a variety of sizes coupled with lively, stylized illustrations of a very-well-loved "Girlpie" and her parents convey the idea that parents love their children all the time, even when children make mistakes. Girlpie's clothes reflect what's going on; when she makes a mess, her blue dress is decorated with yellow sad faces. When her parents forgive her and hug her, it's all smiley faces. When her father swings her high up in the air, her dress is adorned with clouds and planes. The brief text includes short sentences and sentence fragments, and begins with a litany of loving, homemade nicknames: "Mama calls me Girlpie. Her sweet sweet. Daddy's honey bun chocolate dew drop." Renowned writer and feminist theorist hooks gets Girlpie's voice exactly right, and puts her finger on just what every child is most concerned with: will my parents love me even when I'm bad? What about when the lights go out at bedtime? The surety of her parents' love comforts Girlpie even as she falls asleep; "Memories of arms that hold me . . . No need to fear the dark place." This joyful, loving African-American family is a model for all families to emulate. (Picture book. 2-5)
(Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2002)



Other Contributors:
Evans, Shane W.: ill

ISBNs Associated with this Title:
0786806435
0786825537


Credits:
• Novelist/EBSCO Publishing
• Baker & Taylor
• Booklist, published by the American Library Association
• School Library Journal, A Reed Elsevier Business Information Publication
• Publishers Weekly, A Reed Elsevier Business Information Publication
• Copyright 2005, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
• Added to NoveList: 20030220
• TID: 118746

Skin again
bell hooks ; illustrated by Chris Raschka

Author: Hooks, Bell

Celebrates the freedom of looking beyond the color of skin and enjoying the heart inside.

New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2004, 32 p.

School Library Journal Review: /* Starred Review */ K-Gr 4–As they did in Happy to Be Nappy (1999) and Be Boy Buzz (2002, both Hyperion), hooks and Raschka have created a verbal and visual celebration. This time the subject is skin, both what it is and, more importantly, what it is not. "The skin I'm in/is just a covering./If you want to know who I am/you have got to come inside/and open your heart way wide." While the message comes across loud and clear, the author's deft handling of language renders it gently persuasive rather than didactic. Raschka's impressionistic pictures amplify the theme as they shift from large, bold cartoons showing the outside of both white and black children, and then move to the inner patchwork of thoughts and feelings that make up "real" individuals. The illustrations will invite lengthy study, as Raschka shows the children passing through the various boxes as they reach inside to know each other and then come outside to see skin again with fresh eyes. Whether shared with a group or one-on-one, this is an excellent vehicle to initiate discussion on a sensitive and perennially important subject.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (Reviewed September 1, 2004) (School Library Journal, vol 50, issue 9, p162)

Kirkus Reviews Snake(skin) and onion(skin) form the illustrative leitmotifs in this over-intellectualized musing on skin color. "The skin I'm in / is just a covering. If you want to know who I am / you have got to come inside / and open your heart way wide." Raschka does his usual extraordinary job of illustrating highly abstract concepts: children of different colors—rendered in smudgy paints—look at, point at, and reach out to each other, finally clasping hands in a sort of graphic minuet. Colored boxes alternately become clothing, frames, and X-ray film that reveals the children's inner dreams; they multiply until they form a quilt, the loosely fit-together patches alternating faces and simple, striking designs. hooks's preachily earnest text, on the other hand, while admirably articulating a vision that states that "skin . . . is one small way to see me / but not real enough to be all / the me of me or the you of you," is so removed from real children's concrete understanding as to be almost meaningless. Skip this, and buy another copy of Yo? Yes! (Picture book. 4-7)
(Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2004)



Other related features:

1. Teaching with Fiction - All About Me

2. Teaching with Fiction - R-E-S-P-E-C-T... It's What All Children Need to See


Other Contributors:
Raschka, Christopher: ill

ISBNs Associated with this Title:
078680825X


Credits:
• Novelist/EBSCO Publishing
• Baker & Taylor
• Booklist, published by the American Library Association
• School Library Journal, A Reed Elsevier Business Information Publication
• Copyright 2005, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
• Added to NoveList: 20041220
• TID: 130385