Ask a Bookseller: 2020 captured in words and images

Jason Reynolds is the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and Donna Garban of Little City Books in Hoboken, N.J., says she knows to order multiple copies every time he puts out a new book. Garban said Reynolds’ most recent title is particularly eye-catching. “Ain’t Burned All the Bright” is only a few sentences long and includes over 300 illustrations. It’s a partnership between Reynolds and longtime friend and illustrator Jason Griffith.The text is a narrative poem by Reynolds that captures the experience of one Black family during 2020. The story spans the awful — the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd and its aftermath, and job loss — and the good, as lockdowns led to increased family time. Oxygen is a fitting theme of the novel, and each section is divided into breaths.The book is for ages 12 and up. Garban said both she and her teenage son tore through the book in a sitting and immediately wanted to pass it on to others.

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