Little by Little

August 16, 2024

Gr 3-5-Michael, a member of the Shamattawa First Nation in Canada, has been taught by his parents that people exist to help others. He has also been through many hardships in life as an adopted child, making it difficult for him to ignore the suffering of others around him. When the opportunity arises for Michael to attend a youth conference where he'll learn how to step into action and better help others in his community, rather than standing on the sidelines as injustices occur, he jumps at it. There, Michael realizes that it's not always easy to do the right thing, but it is certainly worthwhile. A vibrant rainbow palette juxtaposes the darker realities of foster and adoption trauma, homelessness, and police hostility showcased in this motivational graphic memoir about Michael's childhood. The story's brevity, however, results in most issues receiving only passing attention, which contributes to the softened impact of Michael's eventual success. Creative use of both traditional and nontraditional panels, as well as color blocking, aids in portraying the passing of time and the quick transitions between scenes, while the use of a golden hue-sometimes represented like an orb, other times as a wave-helps to communicate Michael's fluctuating sense of joy and connection. Secondary characters appear to be white and BIPOC. A letter from Michael and a list of community actions are included in the backmatter. VERDICT A cursory look at civic action for the young. An additional purchase.-Alea Perez

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