Yo, Jo!

May 1, 2007
PreS-Gr 2-In this bright and appealing picture book, Isadora successfully uses colorful collage images to introduce an urban African-American neighborhood. Two brothers wait outside their building for their grandfather to come home for dinner. The younger boy, Jomar, wanders down the street where his friends greet him in hip-hop-style slang. Isadora depicts an active neighborhood in which kids are rollerblading, jamming to music, or just hanging out to show off their clothes and cool sneakers (Check out the treads!). The greetings are short, colloquial, inner-city phrases that include, Yo, bro!, Sup, Jomar!, Hit me with it, Gotta bounce, and Yo! Chillin! When Grandpa comes home, he questions Jomars use of slang and gets a proper, I love you, Grandpa in response. The man approves, but winks, turns to the older brother and asks, Yo Franklin, you chillin with us? before they go in to dinner. The illustrations depict the reality of inner-city life including graffiti, loud music, litter, and garbage cans, but the friendly greetings and bright colors moderate the scene and create a warm, family-oriented environment. Isadora welcomes readers into Jomars world and communicates his simple joy and acceptance in a way that is contagious. Children will respond positively to the lively depiction and warmth of his community."Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2007
Isadora offers a spare picture book that represents the urban, African American experience for the youngest readers in boisterous colloquial language. Jomar's older brother is supposed to supervise until suppertime, but he doesn't notice when his sibling wanders. It's instantly clear, however, that outgoing Jomar has little to fear from the city streets, where he demonstrates his cozy belonging in a community whose members sport do-rags, flash bling, and warmly include the boy in their hip-hop-influenced patter: "Whassup! . . . Gotta bounce! . . . Yo, Jo!" True to a child's perspective, the bright, cut-paper artwork casts gritty elements of city life (graffiti, overflowing garbage cans) as matter-of-fact fixtures of a personal comfort zone. Readers whose vocabularies don't include the slang celebrated here will look in vain for definitions of words like " heazy "and " B-boy, "but many children will relate to Jomar's easy ownership of his corner of the world as well as the family interaction that brings the book to a loving close.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)