The Breaking News

April 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-While the bad news that begins this story remains a mystery, the anxiety that this family of color faces is clear. The parents are distraught and following something closely on their devices while the children pick up on their anxiety. They try to be well behaved but are disappointed when their actions go unnoticed. A big effort seems overwhelming, so the brother/sister duo try to change things in small ways, like watering a drooping plant. When it perks back up, the parents notice and help them build on that small thing by making tiny potted plants together as a family to hand out to their neighborhood. With simple language that names emotions, the narrative identifies the helplessness children feel when something happens that they are too small to understand or change. VERDICT The ambiguous nature of the circumstances makes this title appropriate for many situations children face in today's never-ending news cycle. An absolute-must for most libraries.-Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2018
With bad news in the air, Mom is glued to the television, and Dad is constantly checking his phone; it is up to the children to remind them they are still there.As the book starts, a family of four--mother, father, and two children--is engaged with planting seeds at the kitchen table. They are all depicted with brown skin and enormous, outsized eyes. When bad news breaks on the TV, everyone's life is turned upside down. The grown-ups all around are clearly overwhelmed, and all the children in school reflect this in their sad and scared faces. In this unsettling atmosphere the tables are turned, and it is up to the young protagonist to help the grown-ups. After some clowning around, a promise of a force field to protect them, and doing the dishes fail to bring the desired effect, a series of smaller good deeds does the trick. What stands out in the mixed-media illustrations are the enormous eyes, which at times give the characters an outright scary look. It is hard to decide whether this story is intended for adults, reminding them of their responsibility toward children in times of trouble; or for children, empowering them to take action when the adults in their lives fail them.This disquieting story may be best used as a discussion starter. (Picture book. 5-8)

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Starred review from May 7, 2018
Something badâreally badâhas happened in the world. âMom is glued to the television. Dad canât stop checking his phone,â says the narrator, a girl with a little brother. The next day, the school bus feels dark and cavernous, with kids anxiously peering over their seats at their friends. In her picture-book debut, Ruel doesnât specify the nature of the event, but her astutely composed, wonderfully sympathetic cartoon-style drawings capture how kids are impacted by worried and distracted adults, and how it feels to be small in the face of something too big to grasp. Ruel also understands that many readers will yearn to feel some sense of agency; the narrator decides she wants to âhelp in a BIG wayâ and tries to cheer up the worried, sleepless adults around her. She soon realizes, however, that while people canât turn off their feelings, small acts of kindnessâreading to her brother, cheering up the dog, brightening up her block with plantsâcan make a difference. âSmall things donât solve everything,â she says. âThe bad news is still there. But then again... so are we.â Featuring a multi-ethnic neighborhood of individuals connectedâfor better or worseâ through their shared disquiet, this is a wise and timely book. Ages 4â8. Agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt Agency.