Purple Up!: We Salute Our Friends

by Sarah Scheerger, Leah Giles (Illustrator)

Overview

While military parents are away serving and protecting, their children are at home, taking care of themselves and each other.

April 15 is Purple Up! Day—a day when Americans around the world recognize and celebrate the children who make sacrifices along with their military parents. Classmates mix the colors of the different military branches to create banners that say, "Thank you for your service!"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807566671
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	03/07/2024
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	519,707
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sarah Scheerger, LCSW, provides school-based counseling and other mental health services. She is grateful for the opportunity to support students along their journey. They inspire her daily with their strength and wisdom. Sarah is the author of eight books for young readers. She lives in California, with her family and their dog, Daisy.

Leah Giles grew up outside of Toronto, Canada. She now resides in a noisy little apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where she splatters paint and collages paper to create stories that celebrate joy. Leah is a fan of all things brightly bold, colorfully collaged, and radically lovely. Most of the time, she can be found with her kitten napping on her shoulder while she draws.

Editorial Reviews

"A solid explanation of a growing movement to recognize military kids."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2024-01-05
Kids whose parents have served in the armed forces are recognized with a day honoring their sacrifices.

When a group of friends witness a camouflage-clad mom saying goodbye to her family before leaving for military service, they wish desperately that they could help. Some research leads them to a website for Purple Up! Day, which is observed on April 15. The kids’ efforts widen from their school to the entire town, until a full celebration takes place, including a Hero Wall on which people place posters and photos honoring not just military families, but also first responders and teachers. An author’s note explains the origin of the day, which began in New Hampshire in 2011. Notably, children are never referred to here as “brats,” the traditional term for military kids. The sentiment is heartfelt, and the collagelike illustrations express love for kids who keep their families going in the absence of a parent. The text isn’t consistent—it can’t decide if it’s a rhyming book or not—and there aren’t any named characters to get to know, but those are small quibbles for a title that laudably spotlights a group of children who don't always get their due. The military family at the center of this book presents Black, and one of the children uses a wheelchair. The community is diverse.

A solid explanation of a growing movement to recognize military kids. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews