The Bright Side

December 19, 2022
This story from Otis (A Little Ferry Tale), based, per the author’s bio, in personal experience, opens with the young, pale-skinned narrator waving goodbye to friends, explaining, “We live in an old school bus now. At least until we can get a normal house again.” Mom and Dad keep telling their child to “look on the bright side,” but they’d prefer not to when the phrase means that one “gets” to do school on the bus, have “pizza toast” dinners made of white bread and ketchup, snuggle together when it’s cold, and make their own toys. When the child eventually enters school, they quickly run afoul of classroom rules and find themselves friendless, but they also find that they possess imagination, resilience, and the power to define “the bright side” for themselves. And when a class pizza and movie party is canceled, they organize a shadow theater and cookout, forging new connections and underscoring the idea that “we can do just about anything... if we look on the bright side.” Digitally enhanced, watercolor-textured pencil and ink drawings keep the mood relatively light throughout this reportorial, child’s-eye view of changing circumstances and financial precarity. Ages 4–8.

April 1, 2023
An unhoused child finds a way to fit in. The unnamed narrator and their family "live in an old school bus...until we can get a normal house again." Mom and Dad valiantly try to get the child to "look on the bright side"--cold nights in an unheated vehicle become "family snuggle time," being hosed down for lack of better plumbing becomes bathing "in the 'great outdoors, ' " and not being able to afford a new toy becomes an opportunity for arts and crafts. Enrolled in "a real school," presumably with classmates whose existences are less precarious, the narrator struggles to understand rules both academic and social. The child is excluded (but not bullied) until skills born from necessity save the class's about-to-be-canceled pizza party in a satisfying conclusion. In general, first-person, present-tense narration can be distancing, but overall the story deftly walks a tricky tightrope. The author, whose experiences mirror the character's, honestly acknowledges the physical and emotional difficulties of the family's situation while still leaving room for joy and avoids evoking feelings of pity by granting full agency to the sympathetic lead. The art is blocky and simple, with great use of repetition and subtle but powerful facial expressions. Mom, Dad, and the protagonist are tan-skinned; the class is diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An honest yet uplifting and deeply empathetic child's-eye view of houselessness. (Picture book. 5-8)

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Starred review from March 17, 2023

PreS-Gr 2-A brown-haired, pale-skinned boy waves a gloomy farewell to his friends as his father steers away the family's new home, an old school bus. Mom and Dad encourage him to "look on the bright side," but that's difficult to do when his showers now come from a garden hose and bread and ketchup is the closest thing he'll have to a real pizza. The boy doesn't even attend a normal school, until Mom decides it's time to change that. On his first day of school, he is anxious and it's difficult for him to sit and listen in class. He hasn't brought any food with him for lunch, so collects leftovers from the table. The boy begins to realize that his classmates probably don't live the way he does, which complicates the idea of making new friends. When the class hears that their much-anticipated movie and pizza party is canceled, can the boy harness the power of his imagination to help his classmates look on the bright side? Otis's picture book delivers a glimpse into his own experience with childhood unhousedness and living on a school bus. Lively multimedia illustrations colorfully combine pencil, ink, collected textures, and digital paint to contribute subtle but powerful details that expand on the text. Approachable for young readers, this story can serve as a window for children who have not experienced housing and food insecurity and a mirror for those who know the struggles. Additionally, the boy's creative mindset of looking on the bright side models imaginative play and problem-solving skills. VERDICT A sensitive story infused with optimism and perseverance, this will encourage wholesome conversation with children of all socioeconomic backgrounds; it's an essential purchase.-Emily Brush

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