The Kite Collector

Gr 1-3–James does multiple odd jobs to earn money to add to his kite collection. He cherishes his kites and keeps them safe, but somehow GG, his little sister, discovers his purple octopus kite. James tells her, “No, GG! Bad, GG! Never Again GG,” causing GG distress. James feels bad for upsetting her, so takes on another job and buys a pirate kite for GG; that goes everywhere with GG, and one day she tells James she wants to fly her kite. After some mishaps, James realizes, “Everything was fine—pretty safe, a bit untidy and, somehow, just right.” The risograph prints, reminiscent of the illustrations of Ezra Jack Keats, are mostly bold colors with minimal facial details, ranging from horizontal panels to quadrants over two pages with the text in the middle, to full spreads. These convey more emotions in deceptively simple ways: when James is scolding GG, his arms pinwheel with frustration. Small details show the care James puts into his tasks and kites. The backgrounds are primarily white, becoming full color when big emotions or events happen.