Zuri Ray and the Backyard Bash

by Tami Charles, Sharon Sordo (Illustrator)

Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Tami Charles and rising star illustrator Sharon Sordo comes the second book in a charming picture book series about a fun, spunky girl with strong opinions, big ideas, and a huge heart!

Zuri Ray is back! And this time, she's got a party to plan. With summer coming to an end, a backyard bash is an absolute must, and Zuri's not letting her parents' questionable tastes anywhere near the details. The food, the decorations, the entertainment—everything has to be perfect. Good thing her friends are ready to help!

But when the party doesn't go exactly according to plan, will Zuri be able to let loose and improvise? Or will the chaos be too much to handle?

Perfect for fans of Fancy Nancy and Fresh Princess, Zuri Ray and the Backyard Bash highlights how much fun can be had even when plans fall apart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062918048
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	658,302
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tami Charles is a former teacher and full-time author of picture books, nonfiction, middle grade, and young adult novels. As a teacher, she made it her mission to introduce her students to all types of literature, particularly diverse books. Doing so reignited Tami’s passion for writing and childhood dream of becoming an author. She lives in New Jersey with her family.

Sharon Sordo is an illustrator, cat hugger, and expert soup maker. As a Mexican girl growing up in America, Sharon found it difficult to relate to the many character designs and children’s books available. Since then, she strives to represent different cultural backgrounds through her art. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and cat.

Editorial Reviews

"The vibrant, animated illustrations are great fun. An excellent story of initiative, planning, and what to do when plans go awry; highly recommended." — School Library Journal

“Sordo’s colorful, digitally created illustrations portray a loving, diverse community of friends and family. A well-told story featuring creative kids who excel at fashioning their own fun.” — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

08/26/2022

PreS-Gr 2—Zuri's parents agree to her idea for an end-of-summer party, but when she hears their plans (for '80s music and olive Jell-O) she knows she has to take over. She rallies her sister, Remi, their dog, Sherlock Hound, and a diverse group of friends from school, church, and swim class to plan a perfect party, including food, decorations, and entertainment. The planning and the party itself go well at first, but then catastrophe strikes (squirrel, dog chase). Zuri wants everyone to go home, but her parents' comfort and good advice ("It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be fun" and "Sometimes things don't go as planned") help her recover and carry on. Zuri's mom is dark-skinned with curly black hair, and her dad is white, with blondish-brown hair. Zuri Ray (Zuri Ray Tries Ballet) shares an inclusive vibe and problem-solving attitude with Saadia Faruqi's early reader series, "Meet Yasmin." The vibrant, animated illustrations are great fun, especially the perspective of the dog chase, with a dotted line enabling readers to follow the action. VERDICT An excellent story of initiative, planning, and what to do when plans go awry; highly recommended.—Jenny Arch

School Library Journal

2022-10-12
Zuri Ray loves a good party.

When our protagonist, who was introduced in Zuri Ray Tries Ballet (2021), decides to throw a summer bash, her parents suggest reusing the decorations from Zuri’s third birthday party, playing ’80s music, and making an olive Jell-O mold. Bad ideas! So, with her parents’ encouragement, Zuri springs into action to plan her own fête with help from her sister, Remi. Their friends come over and volunteer to get their families to contribute food and decorations. The kids decide on a menu of barbecue and tacos, and they plan the party around a talent show in which the kids will perform. When the day arrives, Lupe dances to Swan Lake, the Patel twins perform magic tricks, Remi and Tessa do a hip-hop number, and Zuri plays guitar and sings. A few mishaps threaten to derail the show, but Zuri and friends recover beautifully, with the help of Zuri’s caring parents, and they all prepare for a grand finale guaranteed to please everyone. Sordo’s colorful, digitally created illustrations portray a loving, diverse community of friends and family. Biracial Zuri, who has brown skin and an Afro, has a White dad and a Black mom; her friends are diverse; and no two (except the twins) have the same skin tone or hair texture. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A well-told story featuring creative kids who excel at fashioning their own fun. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews