RIVKA'S PRESENTS: Laurie Wallmark's Gift To All

 If you read this blog you'll know that I've sung the praises of author Laurie Wallmark's nonfiction picture books, particularly her masterful research and presentation of Women in STEM from the past. If you missed those reviews, I hope you'll take a look HERE, HERE, and HERE (giveaway ended). You can also read an interview with her HERE. If you do, you'll note that in addition to her proficiency with research and writing about WOMEN IN STEM, she has a flair for writing fiction picture books, too. 

Random House Studio, 2023

In RIVKA'S PRESENTS, Wallmark's talent turns to a fictional family living in an  immigrant tenement neighborhood in New York City in 1918, the year of the first flu pandemic following the First World War. The opening spread reveals Rivka shouting out her window to the iceman below, sharing her excitement that this would be her first day of school. Her eagerness to read and write and learn about the world is recognizable and infectious, but one page-turn readers find that her mother was listening, then gently reminds Rivka that she is needed in the family and can't go to school. Papa is still very ill, Mama needs to go to work to support the family, and Rivka will need to stay home to care for little sister Miriam. 

In her sorrow, Rivka races outdoors and realizes that the nearby shopkeeper works with letters, the tailor works with numbers, and an older neighbor woman, studying for her citizenship test, was learning about this new country in which they lived.

In each case clever Rivka bargains for her learning by assisting at shop or home chores while tending to little Miriam. I especially appreciated that little sister was learning along the way, not just about numbers but about the value of other generations, hard work, and community support. The gentle and straightforward text enfolds hints of the passing of seasons, also revealing that Papa is gradually recovering. 

As a traditional school year would be winding down in late spring, Rivka, too, has completed nearly a year of individual learning. One day she is met with a delightful and satisfying surprise-- her neighbors bearing small gifts. Their presence, and presents, celebrating the accomplishments of this bright, determined, and responsible young girl. There's a satisfyingly joyful conclusion without a tiny bit of saccharine in it. Rivka's gift to readers is her examples of curiosity, eagerness to learn, work-around mentality, and devotion to her family without sacrificing personal goals. Her strength is a blessing.

Images by illustrator Adelina Lirius are layered with color, detail, and meaning. The tones evoke a prior century, incorporating historic elements like fire escapes, clotheslines, horse-drawn carts, and clothing styles that inform and endear. They seem strongly authentic rather than "quaint". There are indicators of  the economic status and Jewish identity of Rivka's family without referencing those directly. The endpapers suggest the studies Rivka pursues, the seasons passing, and the art styles of this earlier era. While text also reinforces the cultural values of Rivka's Jewish family and neighbors, the universal themes of family love and loyalty, learning, hard work, and struggles regarding health and economic hardship will resonate across cultures and centuries. The color palette edges away from sharp lines or bright contrast to a softened, aged tone throughout foreground images and backgrounds. The individuals pictured provide identifiable emotional reactions without resorting to caricature or exaggeration. The overall impact is a highly readable story for audiences of many ages, and a very admirable but realistic lead character, Rivka.

Wallmark is a leader in writing accessible and important back matter for her nonfiction titles. Here she follows the main text with an author's note that enhances information about this era and location in American history as well as traditional Jewish culture regarding the value of learning. I highly recommend it for any time of the year, but especially at the beginning or end of a school year. It is certainly a delight at any time of year.