Alight

Reviews / Votes

"The prose has a cumulative, almost incantatory rhythm that mirrors the birds' restless energy before describing how these creatures came to belong somewhere they seemingly shouldn't. The illustrations are a standout: Pages pulse with magentas, teals, bright greens, and warm golds that evoke the hazy magic of Southern California light, the parrots glowing electric green against dusky pink skies and lush canopy scenes. Certain to have youngsters scanning their own neighborhoods for flashes of green." -- <I>Kirkus Reviews</I> "Poetic text brings the 'bold and brave and boisterous' birds to life, making strategic use of parallelism and repetition throughout, where the same words recontextualized drive home strikingly different emotional beats and bring the story full circle. . . . Bright colors, clean lines, and an artful blend of geometric detail and simplified stylization combine in the digital-looking illustrations to make every spread pop." -- <I>Horn Book</I> "[A] poetic, lyrical narrative . . . Colorful, detailed illustrations echo the vibrant nature of the parrot's feathers in their artificial surroundings, lending a sense of hope and renewal to the text. . . . Straightforward and poignant, this book encourages readers to engage with their surroundings with curiosity, and to consider ways in which resilience is reflected in many creatures around the world." -- <I>School Library Journal</I> "[Torres's] simple but evocative text . . . nods to the parrots' displacement paralleling human immigration journeys, but this message is one of resilience. Vibrant illustrations favor tropical hues against which the green of the cheerful-looking parrots pop." -- <I>Booklist</I>