Review by Booklist Review
Peppered with references to titles that ought to be familiar to American readers of any age, this set of short free-verse poems takes a biographical slant to celebrate a truly iconic writer. Beginning with Judy Blume's birth ("Two days away / from Valentine's Day") in 1938, Alko depicts her in words and in collages that incorporate clipped bits of printed matter. We see her growing up ("Little. Miss. Perfect.") with dreams and questions ("Are you there God? / It's me, Judy"), going through memorable childhood incidents like the three airplane crashes that occurred in her New Jersey town and getting an A on a "report" about a made-up book about "girls like her." The penultimate poem significantly ends with "PERIOD. / End of sentence." A final compressed entry in which "Judy Blooms" as wife, mother, and author, along with an appended timeline up to 2016, signals that her books for preteens are the main focus here. "In a way, Judy Blume helped raise me," Alko writes in her personal afterword. There are millions who would relate.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Alko's detail-rich biographical poems and charismatic acrylic and collage illustrations result in an exuberant homage to Judy Blume. A titular piece, "Judy the Great," begins by celebrating the subject's birth, and proceeding free verse progresses loosely through her childhood. While numerous poems emphasize her "Close-Knit" family, symbolized visually and textually as a sweater, others, including "Tales of a Fourth Grade Reader," highlight the would-be author's early appreciation for books. Nods to Blume's published work ("Are you there, God?/ It's me, Judy") mingle among pieces that unpack formative life experiences including WWII. Book pages fittingly peek through unevenly applied paint, with broad brushstrokes used to capture the pink-clad subject and family. Text and art alike create a smart portrait of a literary star. Most characters are portrayed with pale skin. An author's note, timeline, and sources conclude. Ages 6--10. (Feb.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
A collection of poems introduces author Judy Blume (b. 1938) to readers who may not yet have encountered much of her work. The poems focus mainly on her younger years, bringing to life the family dynamics and sensory elements ("chopped liver with schmaltz / on crackers or rye") of Judy's childhood along with her love of reading ("be it cereal boxes / or serial stories"). Alko highlights difficult formative experiences -- a brother's illness, a year when her New Jersey hometown saw multiple plane crashes -- and unanswered questions of Judy's as she moves toward adolescence; "Are you there God?" is a frequent refrain. Poetic forms vary, and attempts at rhyme are at times somewhat forced. Alko's illustrations in acrylic and collage on Bristol board are the highlight, incorporating fragments of book pages in images whose moods shift from the fancifulness of young Judy's imagination to the mournfulness (and dreariness) of family shivas. A wordless spread depicts Blume climbing toward adulthood and marriage with open books as stepping-stones before the fitting final poem. "Judy Blooms" delineates her transition to professional writer and is accompanied by a hopeful illustration of a tree of books "blooming" from her typewriter. An author's note, a timeline, sources, and several photos are appended, and see the endpapers for hints to the poems' book-title references. Shoshana FlaxJanuary/February 2026 p.84 (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
In 21 poems, Alko celebrates the boundary-breaking writer. These beautifully crafted, deeply intimate entries brim with delighted reverence, reflecting Alko's own coming-of-age reading Judy Blume's novels. The verse details Judy's family relationships and seminal events in a loving, secular Jewish household in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Though her older brother David is rather naughty--reducing their mother to tears one April Fools' Day--Judy adopts a quiet, "good girl" demeanor. Adults are distant and uncommunicative, so Judy takes refuge in her rich imagination, seeding her future authorship of books that will help kids navigate the uncertainties of growing up. "Fake Book Report" provides a lively example of that incipient imagination: Tired of boring kids' books, Judy writes a report based on an imaginary story--and gets an A! Many titles riff humorously on Blume's own books. "Tales of a Fourth Grade Reader" declares that "the very best gift" that Judy's mother, Essie, bestowed "was letting her read whatever she wanted." Five poems adopt the first-person, diarylike questioning of Blume'sAre You There God? It's Me, Margaret. "World War II" begins, "Are you there God? / It's me, Judy." Experiencing the far-off war's horrors via radio broadcasts with her family, Judy echoes Margaret's bargaining voice: "God, if you end the War soon, / I don't need to be a movie star." In Alko's charming illustrations, collaged text from newspapers and Blume's own novels underpin bright, richly detailed acrylics. Most depicted characters appear white. A sparkling introduction to a literary powerhouse's oeuvre. (author's note, timeline, sources, photographs)(Picture-book biography/poetry. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
