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Kicks
“A brilliantly written and illustrated ode to sneakers and sneakerheads, young and old. A gift to us all.” —Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author A fun, lyrical debut picture book, Kicks is an essential read for sneaker fans of all ages, from award-winning poet Van G. Garrett and New York Times bestselling illustrator Reggie Brown. This is a love letter to sneakers. But not just any sneakers. Only the flyest, floatiest, you-est kicks you can get—the ones that let you soar! This colorful, rhythmic adventure has something to offer anyone who prizes a great pair of shoes and any reader who loves to play with words.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published April 19, 2022
2 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 23, 2022
Not only does this picture book vividly express vibrant feeling and joyful wonder about KICKS, but it puts Van G. Garrett on notice for his genius wordplay. Very masterfully written and OH, SO MUCH FUN!! Highly recommend! Should be on everyone’s shelves!
May 24, 2022
MUST READ!!!! How wonderful to come across a book with such a vivid depiction of joy! Garrett captures that joy so wonderfully with his words and Brown does the same with his illustrations. Definitely a must have for any children’s library at home and for libraries at schools.
May 23, 2022
The best picture book of the year!! KICKS is filled with fun and creativity and down-to-earth feelings which speak widely to all kids and how they feel about opening up their new kicks! Representation matters, and I definitely picked this book up for my little cousins, and they can’t put it down!
May 23, 2022
KICKS is definitely an ode to sneakers. Who doesn’t get excited about opening a brand new box of kicks!?? I do!! And all of the kids reading this book will find new ways in which to look at that experience! I love this! Definitely a MUST READ!
May 23, 2022
Incredible book about the amazing way we, as a people, experience getting a new pair of shoes. From jump, this book made me and my kids laugh, smile and reminisce about that feeling. If I could give it a million stars, I would! Perfect picture book!
May 24, 2022
Kicks has come out at a time when sneaker culture is at its pinnacle. This book fits right into that culture…adding fun and excitement for the little ones. My daughter loves the book, and I love reading it to her. It captures such an important aspect of our joy. Five stars. Hands down.
May 23, 2022
Kicks is a fun read for anyone who reads it! Young or old. It made my heart smile. I’m a fan today and forever!!
May 24, 2022
Van G. Garrett has managed to capture an entire experience for little boys with this heartfelt read. Having a book written and illustrated by Black men is such a needed space, and with KICKS, you get wordplay that is brought to life by wonderful illustrations. Kudos to both Van and Reggie for giving young kids a new way to see kicks and for delivering a story about Black boy joy. Awesome book.
May 24, 2022
Kicks is a sneakerhead anthem for children. I feel like there should be a song to accompany it. The dope words and the fly pics show just how awesome it is to be on the receiving end of getting new shoes. My nephews adore this book, as do I. Will be a wonderful birthday and Christmas gift for my friends’ kids! Can’t wait to share!
February 16, 2022
I don't think many things come close to the intoxicating smell of a brand new book, but Garrett reminds me that this "feeling of wow" can also be found in the crisp, fresh scent of new KICKS. His book is delightful journey of discovery and memory that will appeal to anyone who has ever worn shoes.
May 24, 2022
I got this book as a present for my nephew because he is a big fan of sneakers, and it did not disappoint. As an Asian-American, finding books that he can relate to with subject matter than he can connect with is important to our family, and most of his friends are represented in this book. So it matters. They love what he loves and it was a beautiful thing to see when they all got together to read it. They, also, all wanted new kicks! Wonderful book for representation and fun!
May 24, 2022
10 out of 10. My son loves KICKS. Makes me read it to him multiple times a night. I think I know it by heart. It’s truly a book that speaks on our joy as Black boys and encapsulates that in the illustrations as well. Made me want to get my son a new pair of kicks just so I could capture that memory for him, as he is a lover of sneakers himself.
May 24, 2022
What a wonderful story to share with my son and daughters. I love sneakers, and it’s been something I’ve loved since I was knee high. So to have this book create that experience for my children is pretty great. The fact that Van put into words what we all feel about getting new kicks is super special.
May 31, 2022
ONE THOUSAND STARS for its evocative poetry perfectly capturing that special feeling when you're rocking new shoes. Pair with Derrick Barnes's Crown for a head to toe expression of black boy pride.
March 15, 2023
Great art and nice representation-the representation of an amputee child in particular got a great conversation started with my kids.
July 8, 2024
A fabulous meditation on new shoes and how it feels to put on a pair. Love the bold, bright illustrations.
Mia’s Year of Books: Day 120
Mia’s Year of Books: Day 120
June 11, 2022
This is a book that begs to be read aloud or made into an audiobook. The illustrations are bright and colorful and fun and works with the text wonderfully.
September 20, 2022
Entertaining and fun. I especially like the comparisons to other things that kiddos love.
May 25, 2022
I knew immediately that the kid for whom I bought this book would LOVE the illustrations. I did not know the brilliant words on the pages would unlock a deep & joyful place from my childhood I thought I'd lost forever. I remember longing for that dope pair of kicks, beaming when I finally got them... and feeling like nothing short of a super hero every time I put them on. Garrett and his illustrator are amazing. Kicks is a contemporary classic!
April 25, 2022
This picture book celebration of new sneakers is OK. It does capture the excitement involved with the purchase of new sneakers, but it feels like product placement. There are mentions of Nike swooshes, LeBron and MJ, and Air Max 3s. I don't like the consumerist feel to it - but maybe getting new sneakers is a universal experience for young kids?
They portray the late night shopping lines for new releases and the classic orange Nike shoeboxes stacked by the dozens in a kid's bedroom, like multiple dozens. I just can't relate. Jason Reynolds did an author visit to my high school in 2014 and he talked to kids about buying a $500 airplane ticket instead to Paris, France. He pointed out that it costs more or less the same as some of the must-have sneakers that kids today are buying.
I agree Jason - see the world, experience life. Get out of your small town. Eat different food, meet new people. Don't buy more sneakers. Even MJ said in his recent documentary that his own Air Jordans were terribly uncomfortable. It is a love letter to new sneakers, but why can't our kids worship at the altar of something other than sneakers?
They portray the late night shopping lines for new releases and the classic orange Nike shoeboxes stacked by the dozens in a kid's bedroom, like multiple dozens. I just can't relate. Jason Reynolds did an author visit to my high school in 2014 and he talked to kids about buying a $500 airplane ticket instead to Paris, France. He pointed out that it costs more or less the same as some of the must-have sneakers that kids today are buying.
I agree Jason - see the world, experience life. Get out of your small town. Eat different food, meet new people. Don't buy more sneakers. Even MJ said in his recent documentary that his own Air Jordans were terribly uncomfortable. It is a love letter to new sneakers, but why can't our kids worship at the altar of something other than sneakers?
May 6, 2022
An ode to the joy of a fresh pair of sneakers. I like that this adds to the small collection of books by Black men for Black boys that share positive cultural experiences and joy. Like Crown: an ode to the fresh cut and I am every good thing, it comes from an authentic place making it important to library collections.
On the other hand, as another reviewer commented, it could be critiqued as overly consumerist. There is a line where sneaker culture can be obsessive and perhaps parents should ask if they want to be teaching their children to put so much happiness into a capitalist construct. It is important to question it from an overly consumerist perspective. However, fashion is an expression or extension of identity and as someone who finds joy in fashion I personally would be a hypocrite to take a hardline on that perspective. Ultimately it is up to parents to have those conversations with kids and teach them balance.
Where the book faltered in its construction was flow. It breaks abruptly when a few pages it switches from rhyme to free verse, so be prepared if you are reading aloud.
Pair with My Kicks by Susan Verde for an opposite perspective, a Black boy who dreads getting rid of his beloved old sneakers.
On the other hand, as another reviewer commented, it could be critiqued as overly consumerist. There is a line where sneaker culture can be obsessive and perhaps parents should ask if they want to be teaching their children to put so much happiness into a capitalist construct. It is important to question it from an overly consumerist perspective. However, fashion is an expression or extension of identity and as someone who finds joy in fashion I personally would be a hypocrite to take a hardline on that perspective. Ultimately it is up to parents to have those conversations with kids and teach them balance.
Where the book faltered in its construction was flow. It breaks abruptly when a few pages it switches from rhyme to free verse, so be prepared if you are reading aloud.
Pair with My Kicks by Susan Verde for an opposite perspective, a Black boy who dreads getting rid of his beloved old sneakers.
July 29, 2022
For many kids (and kids at heart), there’s nothing like opening a box of fresh new sneakers/gym shoes/kicks. The bright designs, that new smell of rubber and leather, or the signature emblem of your favorite star athlete. It can be almost magical putting them on your feet and pairing them with your best gear from head to toe. Van G. Garrett’s “Kicks” is a celebration of the hope and excitement a kid can get from picking out and putting on their favorite athletic fashion accessory.
Collecting sneakers is a wildly popular hobby these days, and even if you aren’t involved or simply can’t understand the craze, it’s hard to ignore its cultural significance. Veteran illustrator Reggie Brown brings soul to the sole into a book that drips with all forms of “Black Boy Joy”. The rich, jubilant images of modern urban life are a brilliant touch to the rhythmic, upbeat, stylish poetry from Garrett, who pens this love letter to something that’s so much more than just a pair of shoes.
Collecting sneakers is a wildly popular hobby these days, and even if you aren’t involved or simply can’t understand the craze, it’s hard to ignore its cultural significance. Veteran illustrator Reggie Brown brings soul to the sole into a book that drips with all forms of “Black Boy Joy”. The rich, jubilant images of modern urban life are a brilliant touch to the rhythmic, upbeat, stylish poetry from Garrett, who pens this love letter to something that’s so much more than just a pair of shoes.
March 8, 2023
For me, the best part of this ode to sneakers is the fact that it is dedicated to Trevon D. Harris, a 13-year-old boy who was hit and killed by a car, but who, in his short life made a big impact by giving a new pair of Air Jordans to a classmate who had been getting teased for his shoes.
I've noticed lots of kids at my school wearing the trendy (and most likely coveted) Nike Blazers and Nike Air Forces, and I'd bet that some of them would really appreciate this book about the feel of new shoes. I don't however, forsee reading this aloud for a library lesson unless I wanted to focus the story on its dedication.
Story: 3
Illustrations: 4
Read-aloud: 3
I've noticed lots of kids at my school wearing the trendy (and most likely coveted) Nike Blazers and Nike Air Forces, and I'd bet that some of them would really appreciate this book about the feel of new shoes. I don't however, forsee reading this aloud for a library lesson unless I wanted to focus the story on its dedication.
Story: 3
Illustrations: 4
Read-aloud: 3
May 24, 2022
First, this is simply a MUST READ BOOK, like most of the reviews state. Second, for the ONE person who decided to down this book because it didn’t “fit” her idea of what joy should look like by US, get a grip. This book displays Black boy joy in the special way it was meant to, through words we can connect to, phrases that culturally fit us and with illustrations that portray that joy with vibrancy and honesty. Third, I commend Garrett for stepping out and giving us something we do not have and that’s a perfectly written picture book about the experience of getting new kicks.
May 24, 2022
If this is not the epitome of BLACK BOY JOY, I don’t know what is! Garrett does a masterful job of painting a picture of what it means to experience a moment of bliss in every day life for Black boys and girls. He does such an amazing job of describing that ONE moment that makes your day worthwhile, and for him, it was getting some kicks! I know plenty of kids who share his excitement for this same thing! Such a wonderful read!!!
May 24, 2022
Garrett creates a melody that speaks to the joyfulness of Black boys. He skillfully deploys his talents by weaving a story about the very moment in which one feels fully and totally in awe. That feeling can keep you on a feeling-high for many, many years afterwards, and THAT is what the mission of this book is…to encourage the absolute embrace of a moment of Black joy. And in the case of this book, it’s the joy of getting new kicks.
June 7, 2022
Celebrates what shoes can do to build confidence, make an outfit, or show artistry while also being useful to play sports like basketball and tennis. It's got a good rhythm but other than that it doesn't have a cohesive message or true excitement. I think the words spread out over the two-page spreads felt too wide for the narration itself and filling the page with pictures. It might have worked well as a taller book (the way Crown does) rather than picture book sized.
June 20, 2022
An ode to the magnificence of new sneakers. A little repetitive toward the end, but sneaker addicts will love this. This book will resonate with parents, too, who remember the madness for Air Jordans and other signature Nike releases, as well as those who were a little hipper and collected Converse or Adidas. The 80s and 90s were particularly focused on sneakers. I had a classmate in high school who used to buy new sneakers every week. He'd sell or trade the other ones so he could afford them.
September 3, 2022
From an outsider's point of view on shoe culture, I appreciated the writing in this story more than I agreed with the value seemingly assigned to the shoes. I don't support much about the shoe industry or the child consumer-centric culture that's sprung up around it, but I liked the imagery and the language in the book and I feel like it was a book that would appeal to kids that embrace that. If it makes a kid read and enjoy a book, more power to it, regardless of my feelings on shoes.
May 24, 2022
My cousin bought this book for my son, and saying that he is in love with it is an understatement. He carries it around with him as if it were an extra limb. We both enjoy the poetry and the illustrations so much. For my son to see himself in a character of a book is moving, and I am grateful that this book exists for my son and little boys just like him.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews