Bros / Carole Boston Weatherford ; illustrated by Reggie Brown.

Title :

Bros

Author:

Weatherford, Carole Boston, 1956-

Format:

Books

Summary:

Celebrating boyhood and friendship, this upbeat picture book follows a group of young Black boys as they spend an adventure-filled day together living their best lives freely in their community.

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

9781536220414

1536220418

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 28 cm

Subject:

African Americans -- Fiction.

Best friends -- Fiction.

Stories in rhyme.

Picture books.

First Title value, for Searching:

Bros / Carole Boston Weatherford ; illustrated by Reggie Brown.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

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A celebration of childhood from an award-winning author, this upbeat day-in-the-life of a bunch of friends was inspired by the #BlackBoyJoy meme that spurred a movement.

From sunrise to sunset, a group of young Black boys joyously spend the day together as they live their best lives freely in their community. With confidence and a touch of swag, these friends do everything with one another: build a time machine, tend to the community garden, roleplay in the park, read, take a group selfie, and play basketball. With simple, spare text from celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and colorful, playful art from Reggie Brown capturing the pleasures of boyhood and friendship, Bros affirms the truth that Black boys deserve and are worthy of a childhood full of joy and free of risk, just as much as anyone. Timely and buoyant, it's a story sure to be enjoyed by anyone who knows what it is to be surrounded by friends with a day of adventure ahead of you.

Author Notes

Carole Boston Weatherford , a New York Times best-selling author and poet, was named the 2019 Washington Post -Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award winner. Her numerous books for children include the Newbery Honor Book BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom , illustrated by Michele Wood; the Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre , illustrated by Floyd Cooper; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement , illustrated by Ekua Holmes, which was also a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book; and Outspoken: Paul Robeson , Ahead of His Time and the critically acclaimed Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library , both illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Carole Boston Weatherford lives in North Carolina.

Reggie Brown is the illustrator of several books for children, including Tacko Fall: To New Heights by Tacko Fall and Justin Haynes, the New York Times best-selling Who Are Your People? by Bakari Sellers, the Magnificent Makers series by Theanne Griffith, and Baseball Baby and Soccer Baby by Laura Gehl. He lives in San Diego.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Using spare rhyming lines, Boston Weatherford pens an engaging, affirmation-filled ode in this communally focused picture book inspired by the #BlackBoyJoy meme. As the pages open with a rising sun ("Bros glow"), a child and a dog walk to a playground to meet up with a growing number of friends ("We grow"). Brown's vivid digital art depicts the three with enthusiasm to spare on the playground, where they're soon joined by another two, the group shown with varied abilities, body types, and skin tones. The five kids "stride... ride... laugh... craft... cry... smile," and truly delight in each other's company. Turning pages show the day progressing, as the group takes a selfie ("We style"), tends to the community garden ("Bros dare. We care"), and chooses titles at a local library ("We lead. We read") before heading to a basketball court. A closing shot spotlights the group's affection and confidence, compelling readers to "RECOGNIZE!" the significance of brotherhood and friendship. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)

Kirkus Review

Five young Black boys come together for a day of ecstatic play at the park. The rose-painted landscape of sunrise greets readers as this book opens on three friends meeting in the morning quiet of a playground. After the kids enjoy a rollicking wagon ride and build an imaginary time machine, two more friends join the group, and the five play pretend, explore a garden, visit the library, shoot hoops, and have adventures until the sun goes down. Weatherford's spare, subject-verb text captures Brown's vibrant spreads (or perhaps it's the other way round) in a heartbeat of rhyme: "Bros dare. We care. We speak. We geek. We lead. We read." Brown's soft but textured illustrations feel fresh and open, with all the energy of cartoon callbacks and the spontaneity of playground fun. The crew of bros represent an array of melanin in rich shades of brown; they're also diverse in terms of body type and ability, to say nothing of the fresh cuts and fly natural styles atop their heads. The text lends itself to rhythmic storytimes, first-time forays into solo reading, and even some sight-word practice. But more than this, this book's significance is the simple, uninterrupted joy and shared belonging present in each of the spaces the group of five chooses to be--a liberation that Black boys can't always find outside (or indeed within) a book's pages. Delightful. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Weatherford's heartwarming text is complemented by vivid, cozy illustrations in this picture book that follows a group of close-knit friends as they spend time together in their favorite spots. From reading at the library to playing basketball to exploring their emotions, both the highs and lows, the "bros" are always there to inspire, encourage, and support one another. Amid a soothing palette, Brown depicts and celebrates a diverse group of Black boys defying harmful and hateful stereotypes and showcases them in times of joy, friendship, and brotherhood. The rhyming lines here, accompanied by the full-page illustrations, will have eager readers following the friends as they write their own story, from playing role-playing games to doing arts and crafts to having meaningful conversations with one another, a reminder that these boys deserve to lead safe, fulfilled childhoods. The love and care that each of these unnamed characters has for one another is palpable in these gorgeously and thoughtfully illustrated pages.