  | Over the shop Author: Lawson, JonArno | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
A lonely little girl and her grandparent need to fill the run-down apartment in their building. But taking over the quarters above their store will mean major renovations for the new occupants, and none of the potential renters can envision the possibilities of the space--until one special couple shows up. With their ingenuity, the little girl's big heart, and heaps of hard work, the desperate fixer-upper begins to change in lovely and surprising ways.
| Illustrator: | Leng, Qin |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (10/15/20)
School Library Journal (+) (00/12/20)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 12/01/2020 Gr 3–5—A dedication to trans activists and some characters who are nonbinary in dress and clothing make a simple message of love and acceptance resonate subtly. In this wordless book, there is comfort in familiarity, but sometimes a little change can shed new light on everything. A young girl and her grandparent live behind the family general store, where she helps the elder person with daily activities. Their contradictory personalities are depicted from the beginning; the grandparent turns away a hungry cat while, moments later, the girl brings it some food. A third of the way into the book, the grandparent puts an "apartment for rent" sign in the window. Prospective tenants tour the ramshackle apartment and are repelled by its state of disrepair. However, one special couple are willing to give the apartment—and the recalcitrant grandparent—a chance, improving more than the walls and pipes in the process. This wordless story manages to speak volumes. Detailed images fill each page, requiring careful study and observation to understand the entire story. Multiple frames appear on each page, creating a more robust narrative than is often found in picture books. The girl and her caretaker are light-skinned; the new renters are a Black person with flowing hair who wears skirts, and a lean, light-skinned person with black straight hair and wearing slacks. Readers quickly accept that they don't really know everyone's genders and that the story deliberately transcends such labels. Muted watercolor illustrations give way to more vibrant hues as the grandparent gets comfortable with the new residents. VERDICT This meticulously detailed tale spreads a heartwarming message of renewal, hope, friendship, and compassion.—Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver P.L. - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
