Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In spectacularly composed signature-style spreads, Ransome (Fighting with Love) crafts a wordless story that centers an unhoused child and caretaker. From school pickup to drop-off, the close, familial-feeling figures, portrayed as Black, together navigate a bustling, New York City--like metropolis. They first stop at a fast-food restaurant, then walk through bustling streets to a comparatively empty library, where the adult reads and the child diligently completes homework until closing time. With the library's lights turning off, they make their way on spotlit paths through a park, where they spend the night on a bench, flanked by nocturnal animals--the adult watching over the child--before the sun rises. A shirt is changed and hair combed, teeth-brushing occurs at a park drinking fountain, and the school day begins again. Richly detailed, carefully lighted images guide readers through this duo's evening and morning in visuals that brim, throughout scenes of the two in crowds and alone, with abiding love and care. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Includes an author's note. Ages 3--7. Agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary. (Aug.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4--In this wordless picture book, an unhoused mother and son do what is necessary to survive in an urban setting. Through lively watercolor scenes, readers experience their unsettling daily routine. The characters represented are Black, highlighting the economic disparity many marginalized communities grapple with in most major cities. There is diversity represented in the background characters who go about their busy lives with no notion of what inner struggles the mother and son face. Ransome casts a spotlight on libraries as a place of refuge. When the library closes, the mother and son must seek out a place to sleep. They wander in the darkness before ending up on a park bench while local wildlife watches on. When they awaken, the mother ensures her son is well-groomed and ready to start another school day. This is a tough, deeply moving story that sadly is all too common. VERDICT Recommended for lower elementary grades where fearless books on difficult topics, here masterfully captured in wordless form, are collected and lauded as required viewing.--Alison Schwartz
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
An opening note introduces this story of a mother and son experiencing homelessness. The otherwise wordless story opens with the mother walking through the city carrying a green backpack. She waits patiently for her son to leave school, and they have dinner at a fast-food restaurant and then read and study at the library until it closes. Next the two make their way to a park, where he will sleep for the night while she keeps watch. In the morning, the mother helps him dress with clothes and toiletries she keeps in the green bag, then brings him back to school. Through poignant images created using watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite pencil, readers observe the love between mother and son. For example, in an early spread, they greet each other with open arms. Other images indicate the dangers of their situation, such as those that show the mother looking over her shoulder as her son sleeps. The book gives faces to the many children and families who are unhoused, and the author's note calls on readers to "begin by seeing those who face this issue each day, to pay attention." Teachers, librarians, and families can use this book with varying age levels to discuss Ransome's question: "In a country with vast resources, what is our responsibility to those without access to basic necessities?" Nicholl Denice MontgomerySeptember/October 2025 p.50 (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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A wordless tale that speaks loudly of American inequality. At the end of the school day, a mother picks up her son from school. Parent and child, both of whom present Black, hug before stopping for a meal at a fast-food restaurant. At dusk, the pair walk to the local library, where the boy does his homework and the mother reads a novel--notably, it's Lesa Cline-Ransome'sFinding Langston (2018), the story of another Black child who knows hardship, written by the author's wife. At closing time, the librarian comes to turn out the lights. After exiting the library, parent and child walk to a park, where they talk, and the youngster plays in the fall leaves. In the dark, the two settle down on a bench with the city lights and skyline as backdrop. While the child sleeps, his head resting in his mother's lap, she remains vigilant throughout the night. When the sun rises, she gets the boy ready for school, combing his hair and looking on as he brushes his teeth at a water fountain. Ransome's gorgeous, richly hued watercolors convey the love between mother and child, balancing the difficulties they face with moments of true joy. In an author's note, he asks, "In a country of vast resources, what is our responsibility to those without access to the basic necessities?" Readers of this empathetic tale will come away resolved to work toward a world in which all people's needs are met. Thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and moving.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
