January 15, 2023
U said it! The diminutive lowercase letters attending Ms. Bracket's School for Little Letters, located in New York City, embark on a "Find Yourself Field Trip" and observe letters everywhere--on signs, on T-shirts, and more. When personable U, the story's protagonist, talks to a letter in a book at the New York Public Library, she realizes how powerful and important letters and words are; a discussion with a letter on a sculpture spelling out the word hope inspires optimism. When it's her turn to share her field-trip experiences, U recaps her conversations and the lessons learned, namely, be yourself, or, in U's case, be U. Her decision about who to be when she grows up should please readers, though the heavy-handed lead-up to that conclusion may confound them. The story is cute, though a bit thin, with a lofty message that may go over kids' heads. However, the humorous, inventive illustrations are appealing, with playful use of typography and fonts; many colored images are pleasingly set against monochromatic line drawings. The adorable, exuberant student letters and teacher have spindly limbs, dots for eyes, and small, curved mouths. Ms. Bracket, who resembles a squiggly, yellow piece of pasta, wears a "hair" adornment. Children may be spurred to take part in their own creative lettering activities--collages for example. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Somewhat cerebral but brimming with visual charm--and likely to spark ideas in the artistically minded. (Picture book. 4-7)
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February 1, 2023
PreS-K-When the little letters of the alphabet gather for their annual field trip out into the wide world, all of them are asking themselves where they might fit in. They see lots of different places where letters have found their places-on traffic signs, advertisements, on T-shirts, and most grandly, the New York Public Library. The letter U asks several of the big letters to talk about why they love their own space, and each big letter has a reason for ending up where it did. It will be easy for children to connect the quest of the letters to their own plans when they get big. The warm palette of colors invites readers in for a closer look at the densely packed illustrations. There is a lot of text on each page and font size is small, which will be better for reading aloud by caregivers than for new readers; nevertheless, this is a good story to share. It may look like an alphabet book, but it's about finding one's purpose. VERDICT This book straddles a line between a story for upper and lower elementary readers. A good choice for libraries needing fiction picture books about starting to consider one's place in the world.-Debbie Tanner
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 6, 2023
Hische (Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind) celebrates curiosity and individuality in this playful blend of abecedary, school story, and self-discovery primer. Excited to embark on a field trip, Lilac-hued protagonist U heads to Ms. Bracket’s School for Little Letters, located—in the first of many punny nods to Manhattan—in Alphabet City. Shown in varied hues and sporting thin, black noodly arms and legs, the full complement of classmates, plus “Sigma... visiting from Greece,” boards the subway, embarking on a New York City scavenger hunt to, well, find themselves—“on storefronts, on street signs, on hand-printed posters, on a movie theater marquee... even up in the sky!” Along the way, U does on-the-street interviews, asking S, T, O, and P how they ended up on a sign, and making small talk with the flashy K on box office signage. A chat with the books at the public library and a stop in front of a lettered sculpture round out the trip, contributing to U’s uplifting class report on her findings. An arch-windowed room at the New York Public Library and a showstopping spread of humorous, brightly burning billboards in Times Square are among the memorable scenes of this city jaunt, which invites readers to explore their own world of possibilities. Ages 3–7.