Something Great

by Jeanette Bradley

Overview

Named a Best STEM Book by the National Science Teachers Association

Voila! Quinn spent the morning in their workshop, and they emerged with Something Great! But… What is it?

No one seemed to understand that Something Great isn’t supposed to be anything. It was just… itself. Something Great.

Then, the new kid asks to play with Quinn and Something Great. They discover that Something Great can be an elevator, a bug catcher, or a stick lifter. It could even be… a friend finder.

Quietly profound, this sweet tale and its mixed-media illustrations are a delightful combination of elements blending STEM activities (for those inclined to catch them!) with casual nonconformity in a picture book that is, well, Something Great!

P R A I S E

“An apt and subtle metaphor for self-expression.”
—Horn Book 

“Filled with movement and emotion. Collaboration + boundless imagination = one bright idea.”
—Kirkus 

“A welcome choice for STEM enthusiasts and creative types."
—Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646141715
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	966,041
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 10.35(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jeanette Bradley has been an urban planner, an apprentice pastry chef, and the artist-in-residence for a traveling art museum on a train. She is the author and illustrator of Love, Mama (Roaring Brook, 2018) and illustrator of When The Babies Came to Stay (Viking, 2020). She is also co-editor and illustrator of the poetry anthology No Voice Too Small: Fourtneen Young Americans Making History (Charlesbridge, 2020) and the forthcoming companion volume No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Climate Change (Coming 2023!). Jeanette lives in Rhode Island with her wife and kids.
 
Author Residence: Rhode Island

Editorial Reviews

Bradley’s latest, an everyday story of a nonbinary child, fits neatly alongside similar STEAM-focused titles. The mixed-media digital collages combine text, images of musical notes, and graph paper for a fitting DIY aesthetic. Spreads are filled with movement and emotion. Collaboration + boundless imagination = one bright idea.”—Kirkus Reviews 

“An apt and subtle metaphor for self-expression.” — The Horn Book 

“A welcome choice for STEM enthusiasts and creative types." — Booklist 

From the Publisher

2022-07-13
A young maker finds a new friend and collaborator.

Quinn, a light-skinned child, spends the morning in their workshop and makes “Something Great” with string, tape, and an upcycled jug. The contraption can “tick-tock” like a clock and “orbit around, and around, and around, like the moon.” It can even “sing!” Despite its many impressive functions, the Something Great fails to impress Quinn’s big sister and mother. Even Isis the cat is “only interested in the string.” Frustrated, Quinn flops onto the grass. The sun makes the Something Great even more magical as it “glow[s] with all the colors of the rainbow.” A “hi” from above introduces Quinn to a brown-skinned tree climber who is curious about the project. Together, the two kids’ imaginations run wild: The Something Great could be an “elevator,” a “beat keeper,” and more! Best of all, though, the Something Great turns out to be “a friend finder.” Bradley’s latest, an everyday story of a nonbinary child, fits neatly alongside similar STEAM-focused titles. The mixed-media digital collages combine text, images of musical notes, and graph paper for a fitting DIY aesthetic. Spreads are filled with movement and emotion. Front endpapers depict Quinn’s workshop table; back endpapers add small details to show the pair’s future creative endeavors. (This book was reviewed digitally

Collaboration + boundless imagination = one bright idea. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews