Errol Lloyd (Books for Keeps No. 110, May 1998)
Four abstract or semi-abstract paintings supply the inspiration for the four short, illustrated poems that make up this attractively produced African-American picture book. Though this fairly sophisticated approach may be lost on the young readers for whom the book is intended, the poems aspire to genuine poetic feeling rather than mere rhyme or doggerel, and the pictures are crisp and expertly executed and portray family life at its most warm and joyous. Category: Under 5s Pre-School/Nursery/Infant. Rating: *** (Good). ...., Orchard Books, 32pp; (available via Letterbox Library), D10.99 hbk. Ages 0 to 4.

Carolyn Mott Ford (Children's Literature)
Noah's yearning for big shoes should strike a chord within the hearts of young readers. However, they will discover, along with Noah, that it is not special shoes but love and caring for his baby sister that makes him a man in Dad's eyes. Vivid paintings bring this story to life. 1997, Orchard Books, $15.95 and 16.99. Ages 4 to 8.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 1997)
Four lyrical, homey vignettes underscore the loving relationships a young African-American boy has with the people in his family: father, mother, older sister and baby sister. With just a few words per page, Angela Johnson touches on all the most important things in the family life of a young child. In "Shoes," the child playfully describes his sneakers and looks forward to the day when they're as big as his daddy's shoes. "Spin" highlights the energetic twirling, swinging games he plays with his older sister, inside and outside. Looking at the moon through his bedroom window at night, he thinks about the things his mother has told him about "Noah's Moon." Lastly, the arrival of a new baby sister means he has to share his room and his toys with her and, when he does, "... then Mama calls me sweetheart / and Daddy calls me man." Rhonda Mitchell's realistic paintings of everyday life from a child's perspective are contrasted with the abstract paintings Daddy is shown painting at his easel in the background throughout the book. Astute viewers will enjoy seeing how Daddy's home life inspires his art, as well as how abstract art contrasts with realism, and newly independent readers will enjoy finding a sophisticated book they can read on their own. CCBC categories: Picture Books. 1997, Orchard, 32 pages, $15.95. Ages 6-9.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1997)
This story from Johnson (The Rolling Store, p. 300, etc.) consists of four short verses ("Big Shoes," "Spin," "Noah's Moon," and "Baby Sister") about the happy home life of a young African-American boy. Family love and the shared stories and symbols that connect the generations are pervasive themes (as they are in all of Johnson's works); Mitchell embodies these themes in vivid oil illustrations by showing the boy narrator as the child of artists and introducing each of his poems with one of the parents' paintings. In the last spread, readers see the paintings hanging on the wall of the family's home studio. This may be a book to pair with Peter Catalanotto's The Painter (1995), for two glimpses of the lives of artists. 1997, Orchard, $15.95; PLB $16.99. © 1997 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1997)
In these four short poems, a boy compares his shoes with his father's, spins with his older sister, wonders about the moon shining in his room, and receives praise from his parents when he shares with his baby sister. Although pleasant, the poems have little depth. Mitchell captures facial expressions and varied perspectives in her strong realistic paintings of this African-American family. Category: Fiction. 1997, Watts, 32pp.. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.