  | Kite collector Author: Abbott, Zoey | |
| Price: $25.38 | ||
Summary:
Whenever James has earned enough money from doing small jobs for his neighbors, he buys himself a new kite. He hangs it in his closet with his other kites, where they remain just as James likes them: safe, tidy, just right. That is, until his little sister discovers them
Reviews:
School Library Journal (04/01/25)
Booklist (00/06/25)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 04/01/2025 Gr 1–3—James does multiple odd jobs to earn money to add to his kite collection. He cherishes his kites and keeps them safe, but somehow GG, his little sister, discovers his purple octopus kite. James tells her, "No, GG! Bad, GG! Never Again GG," causing GG distress. James feels bad for upsetting her, so takes on another job and buys a pirate kite for GG; that goes everywhere with GG, and one day she tells James she wants to fly her kite. After some mishaps, James realizes, "Everything was fine—pretty safe, a bit untidy and, somehow, just right." The risograph prints, reminiscent of the illustrations of Ezra Jack Keats, are mostly bold colors with minimal facial details, ranging from horizontal panels to quadrants over two pages with the text in the middle, to full spreads. These convey more emotions in deceptively simple ways: when James is scolding GG, his arms pinwheel with frustration. Small details show the care James puts into his tasks and kites. The backgrounds are primarily white, becoming full color when big emotions or events happen. VERDICT A charming story exploring sibling relationships around toys and each other; it's a fun book, especially when James finally lets go of his ideas of how things should be and allows them just to happen.—Tamara Saarinen - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
