August 15, 2020
Johnny is having trouble accepting a new classmate, Gabe, who is from Brazil and doesn't speak English. He dislikes that Gabe is a "crybaby" and makes fun of the fact that "he's not like us. He can't even order lunch." However, the rest of the classmates gradually welcome Gabe to their lunch table and include him on their soccer team while Johnny feels jealous and excluded. One day Gabe teaches Johnny a particularly difficult soccer move, and Johnny realizes that learning another language can be as frustrating as learning a new skill. He befriends Gabe by sharing a carton of chocolate milk, Gabe's favorite. By focusing her lens on Johnny, Dismondy misses an opportunity to show what it's like to try fitting into a foreign environment with different cultural and linguistic expectations. Disappointingly, Johnny's toxic masculinity is not meaningfully interrogated either. Practical modeling of ELL principles are largely absent from the text, though backmatter presents a note for adults. With the exception of "leite" (milk), the Portuguese vocabulary consists of words shared both in Spanish and Portuguese, which is likely to create confusion as to Gabe's country of origin. Were it not for Farrell's visual clues--a map charting Gabe's journey to the U.S. Midwest and Gabe's soccer jersey--readers might well assume Gabe is from a Spanish-speaking country. Rather than celebrating diversity, this well-intentioned object lesson underscores the importance of kindness. (Picture book. 5-10)
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