Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Starred Review Poignantly tying African American history to the seven principles of Kwanzaa, Zoboi's picture-book debut is a beautifully rendered exploration of the holiday. In lyrical verses with a smoothly rolling, sonorous quality, Zoboi moves through centuries, beginning in West Africa and the onset of the transatlantic slave trade and continuing through key moments in U.S. history (emancipation, the Great Migration, the civil rights movement) and highlighting cultural touchstones (soul music, hip-hop, poets and authors) on the way to the election of Barack Obama and continuing calls for justice today. Throughout, Zoboi artfully groups these moments together to illustrate each of the seven pillars, explaining both the symbolism of the holiday and its importance to the culture. Wise's warm, full-bleed artwork in saturated, splashy colors incorporates majestic portraits, meaningful design elements, and superb compositions to accompany Zoboi's verses, and even though they don't avoid the painful realities of Black history in the U.S., the overall tone is one of strength, power, and joy. Zoboi's poem is a master class in conciseness, expertly evoking powerful images, concepts, and emotions out of just a handful of words, particularly when paired with Wise's exultant art, and the robust back matter offers even more context and nuance. A must-have for holiday collections, but let its light shine throughout the rest of the year, too.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A lyrical history of African American life that also explicates the seven principles of Kwanzaa.Opening with Africans from many ethnic groups being ripped from their homelands in the midst of births, deaths, storytelling, and other daily occurrences, this immaculately illustrated picture book walks through a vast swath of history. This includes the Atlantic slave trade, the plight and escape of enslaved people, emancipation, northern migration, faith journeys, and more, ending with the Movement for Black Lives. Zoboi's lyrical free verse, with occasional subtle rhymes, always speaks boldly about the lives, trials, and successes of African American people. The refrain the people remember emphasizes how memories are passed down from one generation to the next, be they positive or otherwise. Figures like Mami Wata center Africa and the African diaspora-necessary for explaining the Kwanzaa principles within the narrative. Wise's humans, somewhat reminiscent of Jacob Lawrence's, feel big and expansive in proportion to their surroundings, representing the outsized impact African Americans have had on United States history and culture, whether acknowledged or not. Rich, deeply saturated illustrations cover every page and show how integral African Americans have been to the creation and growth of the arts. Extensive backmatter will ground readers in the facts and spark interest for further research. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Zoboi's poetic retrospective breathes life into Black history narratives and reverently celebrates Black lives. (author's note, timeline, further reading) (Picture book. 7-adult)

Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Pianist, singer, and composer Nina Simone was born Eunice Waymon in rural North Carolina in 1933, a child "who had music on the inside." Treated by turns as a prodigy, curiosity, and nuisance, after high school Eunice left North Carolina for NYC and Juilliard. After a series of indignities and disappointments, she began performing at a nightclub in Atlantic City; her growing fame led Eunice to change her name to Nina Simone in an attempt to hide her "unholy" music from her mother. At the same time, the momentum of the ongoing civil rights movement was a "relentless, demanding" drumbeat that proved impossible to ignore; and as Simone felt more pressure (internal and external) to speak out against racism, she decided she was done playing nice, as politeness "had gotten her people nothing." Robinson (You Matter, rev. 9/20; Milo Imagines the World, rev. 3/21) punctuates this section with flame-like cut paper and sooty smudges symbolizing the "steady, rising roar" of injustice, culminating in a double-page spread showing Nina and her band playing against a fiery backdrop. Todd ends her unflinching narrative with a perfectly placed, direct-address line: "And when she sang of Black children -- you lovely, precious dreams -- her voice sounded like hope." This unexpected, yet needed, outpouring of love is the perfect end to a stunning book. An author's note "About Nina Simone" and a bibliography are appended. Sam Bloom

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A lyrical history of African American life that also explicates the seven principles of Kwanzaa.Opening with Africans from many ethnic groups being ripped from their homelands in the midst of births, deaths, storytelling, and other daily occurrences, this immaculately illustrated picture book walks through a vast swath of history. This includes the Atlantic slave trade, the plight and escape of enslaved people, emancipation, northern migration, faith journeys, and more, ending with the Movement for Black Lives. Zoboi's lyrical free verse, with occasional subtle rhymes, always speaks boldly about the lives, trials, and successes of African American people. The refrain the people remember emphasizes how memories are passed down from one generation to the next, be they positive or otherwise. Figures like Mami Wata center Africa and the African diaspora-necessary for explaining the Kwanzaa principles within the narrative. Wise's humans, somewhat reminiscent of Jacob Lawrence's, feel big and expansive in proportion to their surroundings, representing the outsized impact African Americans have had on United States history and culture, whether acknowledged or not. Rich, deeply saturated illustrations cover every page and show how integral African Americans have been to the creation and growth of the arts. Extensive backmatter will ground readers in the facts and spark interest for further research. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Zoboi's poetic retrospective breathes life into Black history narratives and reverently celebrates Black lives. (author's note, timeline, further reading) (Picture book. 7-adult)