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Abbott, Zoey

The Kite Collector

32 pp. | Kids Can | June, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9781525312526 $21.99 | Ebook ISBN 9781525312700 $13.99
(2) K-3 "Everything was fine -- beautiful, tidy, safe, just right" with James’s pristine mounted kite collection before his little sister, GG, started walking. When she grabs his latest addition, he gets upset. “NO, GG! BAD, GG! NEVER, GG!” This makes GG sad, but James comforts her with a hug and then works odd jobs around the neighborhood to save up enough money to buy her a kite of her own. She takes it everywhere, and all is well until she wants to fly it. “No, GG! Flying kites is DANGEROUS! It could get TANGLED, TORN or fly away FOREVER!” A dream about a fluttering kite changes his mind. They have fun flying her kite together, but it takes a toll on the toy, and James goes back to work to earn money for supplies to repair it. The duo then works on the kite together. “Everything was fine -- pretty safe, a bit untidy and, somehow, just right.” Abbott’s use of repetition makes for a calming narrative that captures the common push-pull dynamic between siblings. Her lively illustrations, “made using multimedia materials and risograph printing” and primarily in shades of blue and green with yellow accents, capture the closeness between the two children and showcase James’s industriousness. His transformation may influence readers who are resistant to change to loosen up a bit, especially where younger siblings are concerned.
Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

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