Time for Kenny

by Brian Pinkney, Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)

Overview

Two-time Caldecott Honor artist and Coretta Scott King Medalist Brian Pinkney’s Time for Kenny is simple, direct, and pitch-perfect for emerging readers. This vibrant, family-oriented picture book is full of boundless energy, action, and unlimited love. A timeless choice for fans of Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Christian Robinson, and Oge Mora.

Time for Kenny to get up and enjoy the day with his family! In four deceptively simple stories, Brian Pinkney guides readers through a young child’s day. First, Kenny must get dressed. Maybe he can wear his mom’s shoes? And his grandpa’s hat seems to fit perfectly on his head. Luckily, with the help of his family, Kenny is finally set to go. Then he must overcome his fear of the monstrous vacuum cleaner, learn to play soccer with his big sister, and—after all that fun—get ready for bedtime.

Bright, colorful, and energetic illustrations create a bold, accessible book for families to treasure and share. Rhythm, repetition, and clear, short sentences make Time for Kenny an excellent choice for emerging readers. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060735289
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/12/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,008,029
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Brian Pinkney has illustrated numerous books for children, including two Caldecott Honor books, The Faithful Friend, by Robert D. San Souci, and Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra, by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Mr. Pinkney's own books include Hey Otter! Hey Beaver!; Time for Kenny; Max Found Two Sticks; JoJo's Flying Side Kick; and The Adventures of Sparrowboy, winner of the 1997 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Brian Pinkney has received the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration and three Coretta Scott King Honor Awards. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

Brian Pinkney has illustrated numerous books for children, including two Caldecott Honor books, The Faithful Friend, by Robert D. San Souci, and Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra, by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Mr. Pinkney's own books include Hey Otter! Hey Beaver!; Time for Kenny; Max Found Two Sticks; JoJo's Flying Side Kick; and The Adventures of Sparrowboy, winner of the 1997 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Brian Pinkney has received the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration and three Coretta Scott King Honor Awards. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/02/2020

Pinkney (Nya’s Long Walk) creates a simple, endearing account of a day in the life of a preschooler. Painted in the artist’s characteristically loose, rounded line, brown-skinned Kenny is first seen playing thoughtfully with a large toy bus. “It is time for Kenny to get dressed for the day,” the narrator announces. Can Kenny wear his father’s shirt? Can he wear his mother’s shoes? No, but his parents gaze at him with affection as he tries them on, and his family admires him once he’s properly dressed. After seeing Grandaddy off on the bus, Kenny considers the family’s big green vacuum cleaner as it eats his chips and cereal off the rug. “Could it eat Kitty? Could it eat Kenny?” It can’t, of course, and his father’s tickles balance a tense moment of fright. Pinkney excels at seeing the world from a small person’s point of view, portraying the distinctive ways that Kenny interacts with different family members, including, in another scene, his sister. Small, everyday events contain plenty of humor and action, conveying throughout the sense that Kenny is cherished and his concerns are honored. Ages 4–up. Agent: Amy Boggs, Donald Maass. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Here comes Kenny, a boy in perpetual motion. . . . Young readers who enjoyed Pinkney’s Puppy Truck will eagerly grow into reading these stories alone, but they also work well as participatory read-alouds . . . With plenty of white space and colorful swirls . . . Pinkney’s recognizable illustrations affirm the closeness of this Black family and paint an empathetic picture of one kid’s resistances, fears, and joys.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Pinkney creates a simple, endearing account of a day in the life of a preschooler. . . . Pinkney excels at seeing the world from a . . . [child’s] point of view, portraying the distinctive ways that Kenny interacts with different family members . . . . Small, everyday events contain plenty of humor and action, conveying throughout the sense that Kenny is cherished and his concerns are honored.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Four brief stories take us through young Kenny’s day . . . Pinkney’s text is both spare and engagingly lively . . . An excellent choice for both emerging readers and preschoolers. . . . The illustrations—in Pinkney’s signature swirly art, full of movement and energy—capture Kenny’s personality and emotions. They also portray, understatedly but definitely, the warmth of this family’s relationships. . . Delightful.” — Horn Book (starred review)

“[Kenny] has a busy day ahead of him, relayed in four short sections that introduce readers to the concept of chapters. . . . Pinkney’s signature fluid acrylic and India ink illustrations, swirling with color and energy, depict the dancing movement . . . This family-focused story will interest mostly very young children in the early preschool years; however, the simple, clear text is also accessible to emerging readers. [An] essential purchase.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Four brief adventures . . . that center on young Kenny's day. . . . Pinkney's succinct text employs repeated phrases and focuses on familiar activities, making this equally appropriate for squirmy preschoolers and emergent readers. . . . A comforting and highly relatable story.” — Booklist

“The everyday life details and easy-to-follow text have kid appeal and interactive readaloud potential. Pinkney’s familiar fluid, kinetic watercolors give Kenny and his affectionate family plenty of spirit even in small moments . . . Especially effective as a bedtime book that could prompt listeners and their adults to go over their own daily high points.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

Four brief stories take us through young Kenny’s day . . . Pinkney’s text is both spare and engagingly lively . . . An excellent choice for both emerging readers and preschoolers. . . . The illustrations—in Pinkney’s signature swirly art, full of movement and energy—capture Kenny’s personality and emotions. They also portray, understatedly but definitely, the warmth of this family’s relationships. . . Delightful.

Horn Book (starred review)

Four brief adventures . . . that center on young Kenny's day. . . . Pinkney's succinct text employs repeated phrases and focuses on familiar activities, making this equally appropriate for squirmy preschoolers and emergent readers. . . . A comforting and highly relatable story.

Booklist

The everyday life details and easy-to-follow text have kid appeal and interactive readaloud potential. Pinkney’s familiar fluid, kinetic watercolors give Kenny and his affectionate family plenty of spirit even in small moments . . . Especially effective as a bedtime book that could prompt listeners and their adults to go over their own daily high points.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Four brief adventures . . . that center on young Kenny's day. . . . Pinkney's succinct text employs repeated phrases and focuses on familiar activities, making this equally appropriate for squirmy preschoolers and emergent readers. . . . A comforting and highly relatable story.

Booklist

The everyday life details and easy-to-follow text have kid appeal and interactive readaloud potential. Pinkney’s familiar fluid, kinetic watercolors give Kenny and his affectionate family plenty of spirit even in small moments . . . Especially effective as a bedtime book that could prompt listeners and their adults to go over their own daily high points.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

★ 12/01/2020

PreS-Gr 1—Kenny, a young boy of color who is three or four, has a busy day ahead of him, relayed in four short sections that introduce readers to the concept of chapters. Pinkney coordinates the background color of each introduction page with the main subject. In the initial section, Kenny gets ready with his mom, dad, and older sister to take his granddaddy to the bus. The mustard yellow introduction page matches Kenny's toy school bus, as well as his granddaddy's suit, signaling that the focus of this section is Kenny's grandfather and the bus. This motif carries in the second section where Kenny, clutching a stuffed lion, worries that the seafoam green vacuum roaring to life might swallow him up, but his father is ready to save him with tickles. Next, Kenny's older sister teaches him to play soccer. Pinkney's signature fluid acrylic and India ink illustrations, swirling with color and energy, depict the dancing movement of the soccer ball flowing over Kenny's body from his knees up to his head. In the final section as Kenny plays with his toy school bus and his mother brings the day to a close with a bedtime story. This family-focused story will interest mostly very young children in the early preschool years; however, the simple, clear text is also accessible to emerging readers. VERDICT Essential purchase for public library picture book shelves beside Puppy Truck and On the Ball.—Emily Brush, Novi P.L., MI

School Library Journal

★ 2020-10-13
Here comes Kenny, a boy in perpetual motion.

In the first of four episodes, a Black boy named Kenny attempts to dress in different family members’ clothes while the patterned text unfolds as a series of questions and answers: “Can he wear these shoes?” the text asks as Kenny stands in a pair of purple pumps, answering its own question right away: “No, those are Mommy’s shoes.” When he finally gets dressed, the family walks Grandaddy to the bus with his suitcase. The second story tells of Kenny’s fear of the vacuum cleaner. Because it “roars like a lion” and eats off the floor, Kenny wonders if it might eat Kitty, his toy, or even him. In the third story, Kenny’s big sister gives him a lesson in soccer, a “no hands” sport (except for a high-five at the end). In the final story, although it’s Kenny’s bedtime, he isn’t tired…until he is. But there’s still time to snuggle up with Mommy for a story. Young readers who enjoyed Pinkney’s Puppy Truck (2019) will eagerly grow into reading these stories alone, but they also work well as participatory read-alouds because of the repetitive text. Solid, pastel-colored pages divide one vignette from another. With plenty of white space and colorful swirls depicting Kenny’s perpetual motion, Pinkney’s recognizable illustrations affirm the closeness of this Black family and paint an empathetic picture of one kid’s resistances, fears, and joys. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 25% of actual size.)

A bedtime, daytime, anytime family story with a Black child at the center. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews