Because You're Lucky - Hardcover

Smalls, Irene

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316798673 ISBN 13: 9780316798679

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers, 1997

Synopsis

When Kevin comes to live at his cousin Jonathan's house, both boys must make some big adjustments

About this title

About the Author

As a former Miss Black New York State, Young Ambassador to Europe and student activist, I have had lots of jobs, ranging from model, working in government, actress, to radio reporter to running my own business, establishing a networking group for business professionals says Irene Smalls. But, the job I really like is writing children's books. I write very simple stories about my children, my childhood. I grew up in Harlem in the 1950's. Back then, Harlem was a small southern black community that just happened to be in the north. The dialect, the foods, the mores and the values were southern. Harlem was a ghetto of softness and strength, a community of open doors and open hearts that loved its children. Irene Smalls' first children's book, Irene and the Big Fine Nickel, was inspired by her fond memories of Harlem. Her second book, Jonathan and His Mommy, is a love song for her son. Louise's Gift tells the story of how an unappreciated gift changes a young girl's view of herself. Irene Jennie and the Christmas Masquerade: The Johnkankus is the tale of a slave girl's Christmas. Because You're Lucky is a simple story of how families can change and grow in ways that they are lucky to discover. A Strawbeater's Thanksgiving (Fall 1998) shows one boy's strength and spirit during the terrible days of slavery. Her forthcoming book. (Spring 1999), Kevin and His Dad is the story of a young boy and his Dad making a game of doing homework. I always tell young children I get my ideas from the tip of my nose. I write about the things all around me, the people I love, the things I do everyday. I write all my best stories while dreaming, muses Smalls. When I wake up, I simply refined and further develop the essential idea of the story. There are so many stories and so little time. Irene Smalls graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Black Studies and from New York University with an M.B.A. in marketing and behavioral science. She lives in Boston with her three children: Dawn, Kevin Logan and Jonathan.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3?A warm, realistic story about an African-American family. When Kevin comes to live at his cousin Jonathan's house, Jonathan is resentful of all the things he has to share?his room, his clothes, his mother, even his school. Jonathan excels in school and chess, while Kevin struggles with reading but likes sports and action figures. Gradually the boys begin to form a friendship by sharing their interests, and soon realize that there is room in the house for both of them. Children who have been in either Kevin or Jonathan's place will identify with the youngsters. The dialogue lacks the sparkle of Smalls's Irene and the Big, Fine Nickel (Little, Brown, 1991), but the text flows smoothly and works perfectly with the well-executed paintings, done primarily in soft blues, greens, and yellows. The relationship between the boys is convincing, although Kevin's relentlessly upbeat attitude is not entirely believable given that he arrived "without a toothbrush or a toy...without a mommy or a daddy." The most surprising aspect of the story is that the details of Kevin's background are never revealed, leaving readers to wonder what chain of events led him to Jonathan's door. Children will inevitably be curious about these details, and may feel confused by the lack of information. Nevertheless, they will take comfort in the story's overall messages of love, acceptance, and togetherness.?Dawn Amsberry, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0316798673
• ISBN 13: 9780316798679
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Hays Michael