Sweet Child o' Mine

September 1, 2020

Gr 1-4-A young girl spends time with adults who care about her in this gentle picture book version of the Guns N' Roses song. The story begins with the light-skinned girl singing into a flashlight while a white man who appears to be her father plays the guitar. Then the duo head out into nature where they run through the fields, pick flowers, and play in a stream. The original song lyrics are used in the text, but not all refrains are included, and the illustrations seem designed to create a feeling rather then tell a coherent story. The father figure is shown holding the girl during a storm in an illustration paired with the lyrics, "I'd hate to look into those eyes to see an ounce of pain." The pair eventually meet up with a woman who is most likely the biracial child's mother, and they all head to a country fairground where the girl takes to the stage and sings in front of a small crowd. Zivion's painted illustrations are colorful and upbeat, showing three people who are affectionate with each other and clearly enjoy being together. The book was inspired by Maya and Natalia Rose, two girls who grew up touring with Guns N' Roses, according to a note from the publisher. In a not-so-subtle nod to the band's name, nearly every illustration contains a red rose. VERDICT The illustrations don't quite match the lyrics, but the images convey tenderness and joy. Recommended for larger collections.-Melanie Kletter, School Library Journal

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2020
A rock band's 1988 hit makes a tender love note from parent to child. This print version pairs the original song's lyrics--stripped of lead singer Axl Rose's wails and most of the repetitive closing breakdown--to neatly composed scenes of a child's day with loving adults. The outgoing child, first met singing expressively into a flashlight, and an androgynous guitar player step out of their country home to meet a smiling woman, then end up on an outdoor fairground stage before a diverse family audience of a dozen or so. Aside from references to rain reflected in a quick thunderstorm, the plotline is entirely in the pictures. From the opening "She's got a smile that it seems to me / reminds me of childhood memories" to the climactic "Where do we go now? // Where do we go? // Sweet child," the sparse but heartfelt lines, as is typical in picture books based on pop songs, don't make much literal sense. Still, aided by an occasional subtle change in type size, they create a gentle rhythm that suits the overall intimate tone. If Zivoin methodically tucks roses into nearly every illustration, there seem to be no guns. The characters and family situations are portrayed with enough ambiguity to allow multiple interpretations: The guitar-playing caregiver has light skin, and the woman has brown skin; the child's skin is a smidge darker than the guitar player's. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 52% of actual size.) Stronger in feeling than storyline, but the lovin's only lightly tinged with sentimentality. (Picture book. 6-8)

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