Roberto Walks Home
Kindergarten-Grade 3—Harrington follows Roberto, a character who appears a number of times in Ezra Jack Keats's picture books, on his way home from school. His older brother was supposed to have picked him up, and they were going to play basketball, but Miguel never shows up and Roberto is forced to walk the streets alone. When he passes the courts and sees Miguel playing a game of hoops with the bigger kids, Roberto is understandably furious. Back in their room, he slams and stomps until he wears himself out and falls fast asleep. After a wonderful dream in which he flies over the courts and snatches the ball away, Roberto is awakened by an apologetic Miguel, who takes him out to play. Keats was one of the first to feature children of color in picture books, and this homage is a reminder of what we owe to his artistic vision. Despite being derivative, the illustrations hold their own and evocatively emulate Keats's bright, colorful work. This story of two brothers who forgive each other's flaws is worth adding to most collections.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.