June 25, 2018
In manifesto-style language, Eggers (The Lifters) exhorts readers to get together and get involved (“Do something for another. Don’t you dare doubt that you can!”), while elaborate cut-paper illustrations by Harris (Her Right Foot) follow a group of children who slowly transform a little island with a single tree into a lively tree house society. When a posted “No trumpets” sign excludes a trumpet player, the founders amend the sign to “OK trumpets,” showing that building community, literally and figuratively, demands a willingness to compromise. Eggers’s narration is sometimes literal, sometimes oblique (“Yes! A citizen can be a bear,” he writes, as the kids welcome a huge bear to their group), but it’s never less than stirring. The dimensionality and complexity of Harris’s illustrations, meanwhile, beautifully embody the messy realities and exciting potential of the civic enterprise. The cast of characters is forthrightly diverse, including a girl wearing a hijab and a child of indeterminate gender wearing a baseball cap, big boots, and a tutu. As Eggers writes, “Who can a citizen be?/ A citizen is just like you.” Ages 5–8. Author’s and illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.
August 1, 2018
Following Her Right Foot (2017), Eggers and Harris team up for a second time to try to answer their timely titular question."What in the world can a citizen do? / Who can a citizen be?" The book's answers are simple and idealistic. A citizen can "help a neighbor," "join a cause," "plant a tree," "write a letter." A citizen should "be engaged," "care and care," "build things, save things." For those new to the concept of citizenship, some aspects of the text are misleading: How are they to understand "A citizen can be a bear. / Yes! A citizen can be a bear"? The statement that "A citizen's not what you are--a citizen is what you do" is both opaque and painfully insensitive to America's practiced definition of citizenship both historically and contemporarily, which denies the humanity of those not legally deemed citizens. Harris' mixed-media collage illustrations feature a palette of muddy pinks, deep blues, and earthy browns and tans. The illustrations are generally overcrowded and frequently muddle, rather than illuminate, the potential message of Eggers' text. A diverse group of children is featured in the illustrations, including a beige child with a shaved head, baseball cap, and tulle skirt; a brown child wearing a hijab; and twins with brown skin and Afros.A disappointing effort that aims high but misses the mark. (Picture book. 5-8)
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August 1, 2018
Preschool-G Citizenship is a hotly contested issue around the globe, with worldwide events, and sometimes crises, involving refugees hoping for relocation and maybe even future citizenship. It may be hard for young children to grasp at times the abstract concept of citizenry, but Eggers, recently of Her Right Foot (2017), gives it a go, focusing on commonalities in gentle rhymes: A citizen can help a neighbor. A citizen can join a cause. A citizen can write a letter. A citizen can help change laws. Through simple words placed upon two-page spreads, Eggers displays how citizens, even young ones (and even a bear!), can contribute to society. Readers will be delighted by Harris' inclusive collages, which vibrantly depict a world of different types of citizens.? Like Her Right Foot, this is also a book that adults will take something away from, especially in the midst of our current divisive politics. Regardless of age, Eggers' main message should hit home: a citizen cannot forget the world is more than you. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2019
"A citizen's not what you are--a citizen is what you do. / A citizen cannot forget the world is more than you." Harris's mixed-media illustrations roughly shape Eggers's rhyming text into a story about a diverse group of children working together to build an elaborate treehouse. Though the book may not solidify a reader's understanding of citizenship, it should spark discussion about it.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from August 1, 2018
PreS-Gr 3-The creators of Her Right Foot offer a kid-accessible picture book primer on civics. Taking a broadly stroked allegorical approach, the duo employs rhyming verses and dynamic artwork to describe how a group of children come together to build their own community. A youngster wearing a head scarf and another sporting a blue baseball cap and flouncy gold skirt leave behind a distant cityscape and travel to a small island with a single tree (or is it really a backyard?). Much of the story line is presented through the detailed cut-paper illustrations. For example, when one child posts a "No trumpets" sign, three newcomers successfully plead their trumpet-supporting viewpoint ("A citizen can join a cause. A citizen can write a letter. A citizen can help change laws"). Everyone is welcome and the kids work together to build something wonderful (a fantastical tree house complete with domes, spires, and roller-coaster). Ultimately, a new-in-town boy who has been watching (and sketching) the action all along is invited to make his contribution (eye-dazzling strings of lights). Throughout, the visuals sparkle with wit and whimsy, celebrating imagination while also creating a foundation for the empowering text: "So forget yourself a second. Grab a shovel or a pen. Do something for another. Don't you dare doubt that you can!" VERDICT Blending an appreciation for a child's perspective with a powerful message, this must-have book distills the fundamentals of citizenship into easy-to-digest concepts and emphasizes the importance of caring for others, accepting differences, and taking action to initiate positive change.-Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs
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