Written & Illustrated by:
Brian Pinkney
For ages: 4-8 years
Language: English
Topics Covered:
- Own Voices
- Black Culture & Identity
- Black Joy
- Family
Summary: Kenny is a busy dude, and he has a lot to do. Getting dressed, escaping the vacuum, learning soccer…so many things! Luckily, Kenny has his family for love and support. His sister is even going to teach him how to play soccer outside!
This book’s plot is simple, and follows Kenny for just one of his very busy days. In Pinkney’s usual artistic style that conveys movement with every stroke, a Black family brimming with love and joy fill the pages. Time for Kenny is perfect for a read-aloud, especially if a little human has ever said that they’re not tired when it’s bedtime.
This book is a perfect example of a book that personifies Black Joy, and is a fun story to read just for the sake of reading a book. We should be prioritizing learning Black history all year round (and other marginalized and BIPOC experiences as well), but specifically during February we need to be especially conscious of sharing joyful stories in addition to learning and speaking about historical events, many of which are incredibly traumatic. Time for Kenny is definitely worth a read, and it’s out now!
This book was sent by Harper Kids, and all opinions are my own.
Brian Pinkney
Acclaimed artist Brian Pinkney is the illustrator of several highly-praised picture books including The Faithful Friend, In the Time of the Drums, and Duke Ellington . He is a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and holds a master’s degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife Andrea, with whom he often collaborates, and his two children.
Brian has won numerous awards including two Caldecott Honors, four Coretta Scott King Honors and a Coretta Scott King Award, and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award. He has been exhibited at The Art Institute of Chicago, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, The Detroit Institute of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The School of Visual Arts, and The Society of Illustrators.
He has been published by Greenwillow Books, Hyperion Books for Young Readers, Little, Brown and Company, Feiwel & Friends, Harcourt Children’s Books, Simon & Schuster, and Random House. His work has also appeared in New York Times Magazine, Women’s Day, Business Tokyo, Ebony Man, and Instructor.