Review by Booklist Review
James works hard to purchase beautiful kites that he then stores in his closet. After walking neighbors' dogs, watering their plants, and sweeping their porches, he's able to buy a checkered kite, a smiling purple octopus kite with ribbon arms, and a pirate flag kite for his hidden collection, where everything is "beautiful, tidy, safe, just right." Enter his baby sister, just learning to walk--and destroy things. She damages one of the octopus' arms. The turn in James' development comes after he screams at his sister and she collapses in tears, making him feel regretful. When his sister is older and wants to fly the skull-and-crossbones kite, James is horrified, thinking the kite could get damaged or destroyed, but he decides to fly the kite with her anyway. They have a terrific time--and a slightly torn kite. The illustrations use multimedia materials, humorously conveying both order and chaos. A wonderful resolution, with James thinking that everything is fine ("pretty safe, a bit unruly, and somehow just right"), showcases his new openness to new experiences.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
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
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Review by Horn Book Review
"Everything was fine -- beautiful, tidy, safe, just right" with James's pristine mounted kite collection before his little sister, GG, started walking. When she grabs his latest addition, he gets upset. "NO, GG! BAD, GG! NEVER, GG!" This makes GG sad, but James comforts her with a hug and then works odd jobs around the neighborhood to save up enough money to buy her a kite of her own. She takes it everywhere, and all is well until she wants to fly it. "No, GG! Flying kites is DANGEROUS! It could get TANGLED, TORN or fly away FOREVER!" A dream about a fluttering kite changes his mind. They have fun flying her kite together, but it takes a toll on the toy, and James goes back to work to earn money for supplies to repair it. The duo then works on the kite together. "Everything was fine -- pretty safe, a bit untidy and, somehow, just right." Abbott's use of repetition makes for a calming narrative that captures the common push-pull dynamic between siblings. Her lively illustrations, "made using multimedia materials and risograph printing" and primarily in shades of blue and green with yellow accents, capture the closeness between the two children and showcase James's industriousness. His transformation may influence readers who are resistant to change to loosen up a bit, especially where younger siblings are concerned. Marva Anne HintonSeptember/October 2025 p.35 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
