Real Life Is No Fairy Tale

Gr 4—8—Written in rhythmic prose, this heavily didactic tale reads like a hip-hop rap to engage and inspire youngsters. Tony is an African-American boy with a positive outlook despite the fact that his family is poor and life is tough. He lives with his mother, two older brothers, and young sister in an inner-city apartment surrounded by graffiti and police cars: "they saw it all as they rode/Broken-down houses/and stores that stayed closed./People outside/with nothing to do all day./Tony couldn't daydream those problems away." Though mean teachers and a bully at school just add to his stress, Tony's refrain, "I focus on the good/I laugh away the bad,/and I never forget/that it could always be worse," helps him rise above adversity. Digitally scanned and colored-ink cartoons and collaged photographs illustrate this picture book for older readers. While the design and artwork appear amateurish and the rhymes often don't work, the book is accessible and the situations will be all too familiar to many good kids like Tony, struggling to get by at home and at school.—Barbara Auerbach, PS 217, Brooklyn, NY