From Archie to Zack

November 1, 2020
Two little boys express their love for each other. Everyone in Zack and Archie's class knows they love each other. The two boys do everything together: ride a tandem bike, build elaborate sand castles, play miniature golf, fly rainbow kites. For unexplained reasons, neither boy can admit their love to the other even though they each want to. Archie, who's White, writes brief letters telling Zack, who's Black, his feelings, but in each one, "something's missing." He hides each one. Finally three girls find the hidden notes and give them to Zack in an elementary school version of forced outing. Since the entire book is about two kids who both love each other and everyone seems fine with it, it's unclear where the tension is coming from, and the climax fizzles when it's revealed that Zack has also been writing letters to Archie. The illustrations are goofy and energetic, with lots of small details on every page. Their classroom includes some background diversity; unfortunately, two children, likely intended as East Asian, are depicted with stereotypically slanted eyes. One girl wears a hijab and another a bindi, and a third uses a wheelchair; a Hanukkah scene indicates that at least one of the boys is Jewish. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 15.3% of actual size.) Models how to say "I love you" for children--but readers may wonder what all the fuss is about. (Picture book. 4-7)

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November 1, 2020
Preschool-Grade 2 Two little boys, Archie and Zack, love each other; everybody says so. The only trouble is they can't bring themselves to say it, though they want to. What to do? Archie decides to say it in a note he writes to Zack, only he can't bring himself to deliver it. Instead, he hides it, as he does a second and third note! Happily, three classmates find the notes and give them all to Zack, who is very happy to get them. He, too, has a note he's been working on for a long time. But will he have the moxie to give it to Archie? This heartwarming, sweet-spirited story of friendship and more is embellished by sprightly cartoon illustrations that show the boys doing a happy hodgepodge of things together: reading, riding a bicycle built for two, playing chess, skating, and much, much more. There's only one problem: the boys keep thinking something is missing. But what? The question seems to remain unanswered, adding an enigmatic element to an otherwise lovely story.

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Starred review from December 1, 2020

Gr 2-4-In one of the most heartfelt books of the season, Kirsch clearly captures the shy trepidation of revealing one's love to one's crush in a colorful, animated story of two young boys, one white, one Black, who treasure their friendship. An elementary age boy, Archie, tries to express his feelings toward his best friend, Zack, in handwritten letters addressed from "A" to "Z," but hides them away because he fears they do not sound just right. When his classmates find the letters, they kindly give them to Zack to read, signaling a quiet encouragement for the two boys to share their mutual feelings with each other. The book shapes a narrative that holds certain specificity regarding young, queer love; parents of a child who feels isolated or pressured by feelings of love would appreciate this book for the model it presents in the strength of the boys' friendship and the ease of openness encouraged by their community. The watercolor and colored pencil illustrations are delightful, with constant action and sharp, inked outlines detailing the outdoor and indoor fun the two boys share as seasons go by. The constancy of Archie and Zack's togetherness is easily recognizable through many brightly colored scenes depicting their utter mutual happiness. VERDICT A pure and perfect capture of first love, joyful and painful in the worries and doubt; the love on the page is so vivid it raises goosebumps of veracity and provides parents with a model to share with any child in the throes of a lasting crush.-Rachel Mulligan, Pennsylvania State Univ.

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 21, 2020
Archie, a pale redhead with a penchant for suits, has a crush on his best friend, Zack, a Black boy with dark curls, in this picture book by Kirsch. By all accounts, Archie’s love is requited (“ ‘Archie loves Zack!’ ‘Zack loves Archie!’ Everyone said it was so,” the first page reads), but neither can muster the courage to confess. What ensues is a deliberately paced journey as Archie pens and hides three love notes addressed “From A. to Z.,” before classmates discover the missives and offer assistance. Illustrations done in watercolor, ink, graphite, and colored pencil have an uncanny bent, with goggle-eyed, noodle-limbed children; unfortunately, two presumably East Asian characters have lines for eyes, and those of a seemingly South Asian child with a bindi are puzzlingly diamond-shaped. Still, the book’s sweet queer interracial love story will appeal. Ages 4–8.