Review_CHILDREN’S
66 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ AUGUST 5, 2019
Sieg creates a warm ode to sisterhood in the
first picture book from the Make Me a World
imprint (reviewed on this page).Picture Books
A Potato on a Bike
Elise Gravel. Orca, $10.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-
4598-2320-4
Gravel’s board book imagines common
foods and everyday objects participating
in human tasks. In each spread, text on the
verso asks an illustrated question, “Down
by the Bay” style: “Have you ever seen a
carrot taking a bath?” shows the buck-
toothed root vegetable soaking in a claw-
foot tub. A recurring bright pink phrase
on the recto answers: “NO WAY!” Shown
in Gravel’s signature art style, “Have
you ever seen”s include a shiny singing
tomato, a reading sausage propped up
against a pillow, a fork driving a bright
pink car, a toothbrush flying through the
sky with wings, and a swirl of poop
wearing spectacles (“Without them, I can’t
see a thing,” it says). The simple call and
response is made for young readers fond
of the absurd, and the list of silly queries
all lead up to a concluding “YES WAY!”
that highlights the joy of further laughter.
Ages up to 2. (Oct.)The Hike
Alison Farrell. Chronicle, $17.99 (56p) ISBN 978-
1-4521-7461-7
This lovely chronicle of an outdoor
adventure by Farrell (Cycle City) introduces
Wren, El, Hattie, and Bean the dog, for
whom hiking is “our favorite thing to do.”
Setting off together, the group plans to
head through a winding forest path and
celebrate sunset at the peak of Buck
Mountain (which various wildlife clues
place in the Pacific Northwest). The trio
exudes an easygoing confidence and
egalitarianism—the handwritten narration
is always in the collective we, and Hattie,
the littlest, is a valued contributor to the
cause (“Hattie always finds the route”). This
sense of camaraderie, along with direct
writing and that enthusiasm that animates
the detailed, naïf-style art, quickly draws
in the reader. After a fast start (“In the
beginning, we run like maniacs”), the
team begins savoring their surroundings;
dialogue balloons (“Achoo,” Bean says,
spotting a deer) and insets from Wren’ssketchbook amplify the action, while
unobtrusive but diligent flora and fauna
labels (“a stand of red alder trees,” “glacial
striations”) underscore the idea that
everything under the sun can be both
named and notable. Readers may find it
difficult to resist the call of the wild after
closing the cover. Ages 3–5. Agent: Elena
Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Oct.)Home in the Woods
Eliza Wheeler. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99
(40p) ISBN 978-0-399-16290-9
Somber artwork by Wheeler (When You
Are Brave) sets the tone for the opening of
her Depression-era tale of a family forced
to start over. Based on the memories of
Wheeler’s grandmother, the story follows
six-year-old Marvel, her seven siblings,
and their mother as they strike out into
the forest, lugging bedding trussed up
with rope and pushing a wheelbarrow full
of pots and pans. “Dad lives with the
angels now,” Marvel begins, “and we need
to find a new home.” The tiny, ramshackle
dwelling they spy in the woods looks for-
bidding, but there’s a pump in the cellar
and good soil for planting, all captured in
delicate illustrations. Brighter hues start to
creep into the spreads as the family settles
in, discovers berries growing nearby, and
harvests the garden (“Some treasures take a
little time”). When the “marvelous things”
at the general store prove too expensive,
the children set up a play shop of their own,
making sweets of mud and money of leaves.The family’s ability to make do helps them
survive the winter and greet the spring.
With the lure of an old-fashioned ship-
wreck narrative, Wheeler’s story champions
initiative, self-reliance, and familial
closeness. Ages 5–8. Agent: Jennifer Rofé,
Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Oct.)Mama Mable’s All-Gal Big Band
Jazz Extravaganza!
Annie Sieg. Make Me a World, $17.99 (40p)
ISBN 978-1-5247-1808-4
This tribute to the all-female swing
bands of the WWII era traces their genesis
to the absence of male musicians (“All the
men had gone to war”) and the need for
the restorative power of music (“So Mama
Mable formed her band/ to cheer up this
good nation”). While Sieg, making her
picture book debut, models the performers
on contemporary swing bands such as the
International Sweethearts of Rhythm, she
doesn’t aim at biography. Instead, the book
underscores the excitement of swing music
played by diverse female ensembles. The
musicians include a black trumpeter in a
hot pink playsuit—endpaper silhouettes
suggest she’s based on Valaida Snow—and
a saxophonist with long black hair likely
inspired by Willie Mae Wong. In vibrant
mixed-media art, the narrative follows a
child in a red dress through inclusive
spreads of women working and attending
the band’s concert. When the girl is reti-
cent to bid the musicians farewell, a
supportive word from Mama Mable
underlines their inherent sisterhood. A
toe-tapping readaloud, a joyful vision of
women in community, and a stepping
stone to a discussion of music as a social
enterprise. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)★ Sulwe
Lupita Nyong’o, illus. by Vashti Harrison. Simon
& Schuster, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-5344-2536-1
Sulwe, “born the color of midnight,” has
close-cropped hair and the darkest skin in
her family. “Mama was the color of dawn,
Baba the color of dusk, and Mich, her sister,
was the color of high noon.” When Sulwe’s
schoolmates call her names, she endeavors
to lighten her skin, and even her mother’s
wisdom (“Brightness is not in your skin...
Brightness is just who you are”) cannot
convince her of her inherent worth. A
nested fable shows Sulwe what happens
when Night and Day, two magnificentChildren’s/YA
continued on p. 69