A Book about Bupkes

Bupkes is a Yiddish word that usually connotes lack of value (e.g., "You know bupkes about that"). But Kimmelman (Write On, Irving Berlin!) and de Rond (Milo and Monty) start on a more expansive, neutral note. Defining the word as simply "nothing"--or, as they put it, "Zero. Zilch"--they use it as a kind of linguistic linchpin for a pale-skinned protagonist, young Zoe, to connect with and help others in a community of individuals shown with varied abilities and skin tones. In an early vignette, Zoe and her mother harvest all the vegetables from a garden, leaving behind "Bupkes!" But when they make a gift delivery of fresh-picked produce, "their neighbor is happy." Similarly, when Zoe encounters a child sitting alone on a bench filled with belongings ("There's no room for anything--or anyone--else"), she introduces herself, the two go off to play, and the bench is now "Bupkes! Empty bench. Full hearts." Slice-of-life drawings and upbeat characters, rendered in loopy ink lines with soft washes, assure readers that the world moves forward on even the smallest acts of kindness. Or, as closing lines read, "The thing is, bupkes may mean nothing... but it can feel like everything!" Ages 4-8. (Aug.)

PreS-K--A book with slightly loftier aims than usual, this one is about something and nothing simultaneously. Immediately children are informed that "bupkes" is a Yiddish word that means nothing. But can nothing really be something? With ink and gouache illustrations that are full of engaging characters, simple acts of seemingly no consequence turn out to be acts of kindness and community. A garden that is full becomes empty--bupkes--only to be turned into baskets of vegetables ready for sharing with neighbors. VERDICT There is much to appreciate about this book about nothing and everything.--John Scott