Children's Books discussion

Come join us to discuss the Medal Winner,
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

and/or the Honor books:
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

Crown is a picture-book that has also won the Caldecott. I loved it. Some people have either banned or at least challenged it. Wtf.

Long Way Down has also been challenged. Sigh.

So, the good news is, you'll get credit for Reading Banned Books if you join us in the new year.... :)

And, yes, somehow I posted upcoming reads out of order. Well, it won't be too long before we're all caught up and can move along. :)

Piecing Me Together

Ugh. One of the *I*mportant books. Very carefully written to explicate just about everything a young African-American girl might have to face. Takes place over just half a year, though, so not much actually happens. Other characters are nuanced... but, again, because they need to be to communicate the messages. Nothing and nobody is interesting. There's no humor or adventure. White kids should read an Anti-Racist non-fiction, and all kids should read something more alive & interesting.

Imo.

Cheryl wrote: "Piecing Me Together

Ugh. One of the *I*mportant books. Very carefully written to explicate just about everything a young African-American girl might have to face. Takes place over ..."

This sounds tedious. Might consider trying the book if available on Open Library, but have not interest in getting a copy.

Hello, Universe


With my apologies to those readers who have actually enjoyed and appreciated Hello, Universe, I just could not in any manner get myself into this novel, with its annoyingly frustrating one-dimensional characters (and across the board at that, as I do not think that any of the characters of Hello, Universe are sufficiently complex, that they all mostly appear as basically one-sided types), and that sadly everything does seem to be entirely written by Entrada Kelly right and smack on the surface, without much if any nuance and character development and indeed majorly frustratingly with especially the bullies that torment the main protagonist and others in Hello, Universe so cardboard like flat and stereotypical that, well, I could only yawn with immense boredom and shake my head. And really, with in particular bullies (with villains) this all encompassingly one-sided and totally flat as paper, I very quickly lost both interest in and all patience with Hello, Universe, and basically, yes, I did stop reading very early on.

And just to say that I did reread Hello, Universe for the Newbery Club (Children's Literature Group on Goodreads) for January 2025 (to see if my one star rating from 2019 might end up going up). But no, I still really have not at all enjoyed Hello, Universe and how Erin Estrada Kelly presents her story and her characters and that my one star rating will thus also be remaining (and in particular since unlike in 2019, this time around I have indeed managed to finish Hello, Universe, but sorry, it was a majorly frustrating and annoying reading experience for me and also to be honest, a pretty huge waste of my reading time).

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut


Appreciate the text and the illustrations, but because I have always found it both creepy and uncomfortable getting my hair cut and also watching others getting their hair cut, I do kind of (personally speaking) find Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut rather strange and making me cringe. A very nice combination of text and images though (even if it personally speaking makes me shiver a bit) and it is kind of ridiculous that this book has actually been challenged and even banned simply because it seemingly portrays African American culture positively.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Manybooks wrote: "Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut


Appreciate the text and the illustrations, but because I have always found it both creepy and unc..."

I liked that one well enough. I think it sends a positive message to young Black boys. See also My Fade Is Fresh.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut


Appreciate the text and the illustrations, but because I have always found it b..."

The book was pretty good, but I personally just find books about haircuts kind of creepy (and have never enjoyed getting haircuts either). But why should this book be banned or challenged?

Manybooks wrote: "The book was pretty good, but I personally just find books about haircuts kind of creepy (and have never enjoyed getting haircuts either). But why should this book be banned or challenged?"

You sound like my youngest nephew! He refuses to have his hair cut.

Heaven forbid kids of color see themselves and their cultures reflected in the books they read! Officially it was part of blanket ban of resources at the Central York, PA school district. The resources have been restored.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "The book was pretty good, but I personally just find books about haircuts kind of creepy (and have never enjoyed getting haircuts either). But why should this book be banned or ch..."

I do not like having either my hair or my nails cut, but I also grin and bare it.

Glad the book was restored, but it should never have been subject to any kind of review in the first place.

Well, neither Long Way Down nor Piecing Me Together are available on Open Library and I am just not sufficiently interested to try to obtain the books.

If my local bookstore has them (which I doubt), I will consider the books, but the themes just do not do it for me.

Manybooks wrote: "Well, neither Long Way Down nor Piecing Me Together are available on Open Library and I am just not sufficiently interested to try to obtain the books.

If my local..."
No of course not, too new. Jason Reynolds is a poet who writes about the issues he faced in his community growing up, issues kids still face. He's hugely popular. I'm not into modern issue novels and haven't read any of these books.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "Well, neither Long Way Down nor Piecing Me Together are available on Open Library and I am just not sufficiently interested to try to obtain the bo..."

I have read Reynolds' Jason Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, which was excellent and won the Carnegie Medal, but Long Way Down, with its focus on gun violence, just does not really appeal to me (but yeah, if I come across a copy, I might consider the book).

So, I've reread Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut (previously read it for Caldecott) and I do still like it. I don't really get it, nor can I quite make out the details in the pictures, but I admire it. And I think maybe some racists didn't like it because it talks about how Black men & boys can be: Important, Magnificent, Fine, Fly, Confident, Swaggering, Successful.

:sigh:

Different kind of sigh for Hello, Universe. I only gave it two stars, both this time and a few years ago when I listened to as an audiobook.

Lesson is: pay attention. Don't cover an old well before checking why it might be uncovered, for example. 2nd lesson: Speak up, carefully and clearly.

Manybooks wrote: "Hello, Universe


With my apologies to those readers who have actually enjoyed and appreciated Hello, Universe, I just could not in any manner ge..."

I gave it 4 stars and a very brief comment:
Pretty interesting plot and characters, and I enjoyed it, but I didn't think it was that outstanding to garner a Newbery Award.

Crown: Ode to the Fresh Cut
The first thing I noticed in this multi-award winning book, was how proud the young teen looks with his new haircut. The boy narrates the book, telling "you" all about how the barber will style your hair. The young teen also notices the wide variety of hair styles that other men in the shop are receiving. The paintings (oil, I think) expertly captures the pride of each of these people as they strut their new styles.

Yes, he's pleased indeed, and deserves to be.

I do find it striking that he goes to the barber every week, as revealed at the end. I don't understand; I guess I don't know enough about Black hair.

Long Way Down is a relatively quick read if you want it to be. And very worthy.

Brilliant. I mean, I'm not far in yet, but already I'm noticing some of the not-so-subtle details. Like the patterns ghosted on the paper, of the asphalt and then the elevator walls. And the revelation that there are Rules for how to behave after someone's been murdered, and it's clear that this is not the first time our boy Will has seen someone have their life taken.

"My mother used to say ... when you're walking in the nighttime, make sure the nighttime ain't walking into you."

You know the bit that hit me the hardest so far? When our boy reveals that he and Shawn would capture lightning bugs and watch them fly around until they died.
(In every other story I've read, the kids let them go after a few minutes.
---
Done.
Wow.
Completely accessible to reluctant readers, and Literary enough for jaded readers like me.
I do admit the ending seemed abrupt, & I didn't understand it immediately, but my adult son pointed out that one possible interpretation is that (view spoiler)[Shawn is asking if Will is going to obey the Rule, which will lead to someone else obediently killing Will, so Shawn is asking 'are you coming with us ghosts, or are you going to be brave enough to break the Rule, break the cycle, and live?' But if we go with that interpretation, it's interesting that Shawn's comment is the only 'hey don't be stupid' in the whole book. Still, I like it. (hide spoiler)]

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel is superb. Even less text than the original poetry, so you can spend as little (or as much) time with it as you want. Highly recommended even if you read the original.