* “The moving, poetic text . . . offers both love and reassurance for children and a way to explore some difficult social issues. Pinkney’s striking, loose illustrations in watercolor and gouache use a palette of pastel greens and blues. . . . Insightful, poignant, groundbreaking—and a reminder that the lives of all children are also in our hands.”

– Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW, June 15, 2017

* “An exceptional gift to black families, with important underlying messages of our times. . . . Best shared one-on-one with a loved one.”

– School Library Journal, Starred Review, July 2017

* “Pinkney uses sweeping, expressive ink lines and radiant washes of color to create both an impressionistic mood and poignant immediacy. For all its beauty and lyricism, Weatherford’s book doesn’t equivocate. Because for children like Omari, the stakes are as high as their mothers’ love is deep.”

– Publishers Weekly, Starred Review, July 17, 2017

* “A heartfelt monologue . . . [with] luminous artwork . . . this picture book will move many readers, including adults, with its lyrical yet powerful words and art.”

– Booklist, Starred Review, August 1, 2017

“The pictures of a young black boy growing to adolescence and adulthood and the power of the mother’s prayer . . . make it one that may well transcend early readings to become a book to return to as a child becomes a man.”

– The Horn Book, September/October 2017