Starred review from October 27, 2014
Like still waters, de la Peña (A Nation’s Hope) and Robinson’s (Gaston) story runs deep. It finds beauty in unexpected places, explores the difference between what’s fleeting and what lasts, acknowledges inequality, and testifies to the love shared by an African-American boy and his grandmother.
On Sunday, CJ and Nana don’t go home after church like everybody else. Instead, they wait for the Market Street bus. “How come we don’t got a car?” CJ complains. Like many children his age, CJ is caught up in noticing what other people have and don’t have; de la Peña handles these conversations with grace. “Boy, what do we need a car for?” she responds. “We got a bus that breathes fire, and old Mr. Dennis, who always has a trick for you.” (The driver obliges by pulling a coin out of CJ’s ear.) When CJ wishes for a fancy mobile music device like the one that two boys at the back of the bus share, Nana points out a passenger with a guitar. “You got the real live thing sitting across from you.” The man begins to play, and CJ closes his eyes. “He was lost in the sound and the sound gave him the feeling of magic.” When the song’s over, the whole bus applauds, “even the boys in the back.” Nana, readers begin to sense, brings people together wherever she goes.
Robinson’s paintings contribute to the story’s embrace of simplicity. His folk-style figures come in a rainbow of shapes and sizes, his urban landscape accented with flying pigeons and the tracery of security gates and fire escapes. At last, CJ and Nana reach their destination—the neighborhood soup kitchen. Nana’s ability to find “beautiful where he never even thought to look” begins to work on CJ as the two spot people they’ve come to know. “I’m glad we came,” he tells her. Earlier, Nana says that life in the deteriorated neighborhood makes people “a better witness for what’s beautiful.” This story has the same effect. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.
Starred review from August 1, 2015
Gr K-2-In this beautiful, magical tribute to an intergenerational relationship between a boy and his grandmother, CJ and his Nana take the bus home after church on Sundays, unlike some of his friends, who jump in their family cars and drive away. CJ's envy is understandable, but Nana's positive outlook on the many advantages of their journey soon influences CJ to view his trip differently. A man with a guitar on the bus provides a concert that certainly can't compare to listening to music on a car radio. When CJ wonders why a blind man can't see, Nana reminds him that "some people watch the world with their ears." Nana's commentary inspires CJ and listeners to find the beauty in the mundane and the treasure in the trivial. This gem is enhanced by Lizan Mitchell's sensitive narration, inviting listeners to take a seat behind CJ and Nana until they reach their stop. VERDICT This is an essential addition to any library that values diversity and fresh perspective.-Terri Perper, Olney Elementary School, MD
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2017
K-Gr 2-It's Sunday and CJ skips down the church steps followed by Nana. No sooner do they reach the bus stop when it begins to rain. This makes CJ cranky and full of questions during their ride: why does it have to rain; why can't they own a car; why is that man blind. Gentle, wise Nana uses the opportunities that present themselves during their journey to Market Street to teach CJ that interacting and helping others make life fuller, especially as beautifully depicted on the final page. The combination of Christian Robinson's award-winning illustrations, a subtle yet powerful story line, and audio may cultivate pay-it-forward conversations even among the youngest readers.
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.