Patina by Jason Reynolds

"I probably should introduce myself. My name is Patina Jones. And I ain't no junk. I also ain't no hair flipper. And most of the girls at Chester Academy are hair flippers who be looking at me like my mum some kind of junk maker. But ain't none of them got the guts to come out of their mouths with no craziness. They just turn and flip their dingy ponytails toward me like I care. Tuh. I guess it's no secret that it's never easy being the new girl."

Publisher blurb: Patina, or Patty, runs like a flash. She runs for many reasons—to escape the taunts from the kids at the fancy-schmancy new school she’s been sent to ever since she and her little sister had to stop living with their mom. She runs from the reason WHY she’s not able to live with her “real” mom anymore: her mom has The Sugar, and Patty is terrified that the disease that took her mom’s legs will one day take her away forever. And so Patty’s also running for her mom, who can’t. But can you ever really run away from any of this? As the stress builds, it’s building up a pretty bad attitude as well. Coach won’t tolerate bad attitude. No day, no way. And now he wants Patty to run relay…where you have to depend on other people? How’s she going to do THAT?

Here are some text quotes:

"And just so you don't get the wrong idea, it' not like my mum just wanted her legs cut off. She got the sugar. Well, it's really a disease called diabetes, but she calls it the sugar, so I call it the sugar, plus I like that better than diabetes because diabetes got the word 'die' in it, and I hate that word."

"Here at Chester, as long as your face is selfie-ready 100 percent of the time, you got a chance. A chance at what? Well, I don't really know. All I know it, I ain't got one."

"My uncle's voice, when he's speaking like a regular human being, is deep, but not in a scary way. He has one of those voices that you wish you could touch, wrap yourself up like a blanket. A voice like a dad. And I guess ... like an uncle. A favourite uncle."

'It's like the less numbers in your bank account, the more numbers in your address."

It is the characters from these stories that will linger with you. I love Patty's relationship with her little sister Maddy. I love the quiet restrained wisdom of Coach. Patty is so lucky to live with her aunt and uncle. And Patty herself has a wonderful level of maturity especially when it comes to dealing with her school relationships and the girls in her project group. Studying Freda Kahlo seemed like the perfect topic for Patty and I have no idea how he does it, but Jason Reynolds completely convinced me that he truly understands girls, African American girls and girls on the cusp of the teenage years. At times I felt as though I was also running with the track team and completing in the relay races passing those slippery batons. 

Writing in Patty’s voice, Reynolds creates a fully dimensional, conflicted character whose hard-earned pragmatism helps her bring her relay team together, negotiate the social dynamics of the all-girls, mostly white private school she attends, and make the best of her unusual family lot. When this last is threatened, readers will ache right alongside her. Kirkus Star review

Patina is the second book in the Track series. I previously talked about Ghost. 

If you only add one series to your school library this term make it these. The new title is Coach. I love the covers - how terrific these will look on your shelves:

Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—

a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. 

They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, 

but to themselves. Simon and Schuster

Jason Reynolds's writing doesn’t hit a single bad note here. The dialogue is crisp, the characters are believable, and it's a beautiful, flawless reading experience that will hook reluctant readers (especially those into sports). Book Trust

This novel tackles everything from parental illness and disability, the loss of a parent, and adjusting to a new socioeconomic condition. I would highly recommend this novel to sports-loving and non-sports-loving kids and adults alike. Reading Middle Grade

The publisher page has a story extract and discussion questions. 

There were parts of this book which reminded me of this one:

So. B. It

Big Enough by Regina Linke

Grandfather sends young Ah-Fu to collect their ox from the field but he warns the boy:

"Just don't try to ride him ... you're not big enough to hold on yet."

As Ah-Fu walks along others add to this advice. The swallows warn him not to lead the ox by the horns; and the frog says don't herd the ox from behind. Three pieces of advice. It is a lot to remember but then Ah-Fu meets the ox and as they journey home it seems each piece of advice will need to be disregarded. Perhaps Ah-Fu is actually old enough for this important responsibility after all. 

Here is an interview with the author about her book and in this 9 minute video you can see Regina talking about Big Enough. Here is the web page for this book. 

I spied this book in one of our city bookstore a few month ago and then I attended an event in the store and the price of admission could be used for book purchases. This seems like such a great way to organise an event - people pay to attend so you can be sure they will come and the reward is a book or two.

If you buy Big Enough published in 2025 (AUS$30) for your school library you will want to work out how to share the image under the dust jacket. And also stop and consider the way the end papers move from early in the day to late at night. 

Author blurb: Little Ah-Fu has a big imagination, but he can’t imagine being the Oxherd Boy . . . yet. When the day comes for Ah-Fu to bring the huge family ox home from the woods, he worries that he’s not big enough to do the job.Will fear and self-doubt drive Ah-Fu home empty-handed? Or can he rely on his wits and compassion to become the Oxherd Boy his family expects—and prove to himself that he is, indeed, big enough? Delightfully paired with exquisite illustrations, this empowering story inspired by traditional Chinese philosophy shows kids big and small how to trust themselves and embrace what they can be.

The illustrations, painted digitally using traditional Chinese techniques, are by turns realistic and minimalist, then fantastical and lush, capturing an agrarian countryside filtered through the unbridled imagination of youth. This tale of quiet persistence, enhanced by the ox’s impressively expressive eyebrows, will strike a chord with young readers looking for their own burst of courage. A gentle adventure for big dreamers in small bodies. Kirkus

Big Enough is a debut picture book with a character taken from her previous book:

The Oxherd Boy (a book for adults) has 160 pages and was published in 2024. Here is the publisher blurb: In this exquisitely illustrated parable grounded in the three pillars of Chinese philosophy, a young boy, his family ox, and a rabbit living in his garden help each other navigate the daily work of love, compassion, and community. Examining the world through the lenses of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, their conversations convey tender, uplifting messages for life's various crossroads. As they adopt a sparrow, bathe in rivers, comfort their neighbors, and tend to their chores, the characters’ different perspectives are reflected in their conversations: the boy’s Taoist love of nature and all it entails, the ox’s Buddhist compassion for others, and the rabbit’s Confucian practice of mutual respect and care. While they don't always agree, the friends settle on the basic truth that purpose comes from simply engaging with life—and with each other. Painted in a contemporary gongbi style, one of the oldest continuous art forms in the world, the atmospheric illustrations from Taiwanese American artist Regina Linke conjure a timeless, mystical land where the friends have made their home. The potent combination of magnificent art and gentle revelations will capture the hearts of readers, whatever their age.

Post update - Regina Linke has a new book (coming in 2026) to follow on from Big Enough:

Publisher blurb: It's a beautiful day in Ah-Fu's village, and all he wants to do is fly his kite, ride in his grandfather's oxcart, and have a picnic. But a tangled string, a busy aunt, a fallen tree, and more threaten to ruin Ah-Fu's chances of enjoying this perfect day with the people he loves. Can little Ah-Fu come up with creative ways to help his friends and family, or will his plans for a nice day be ruined? Inspired by traditional Chinese philosophy and told alongside gorgeous illustrations, this modern fable encourages readers of all ages to use inventive problem-solving strategies and lend a helping hand wherever they can.

Three Bears in a Boat by David Soman

Begin with the first words of this book:

Once there were three bears ...

Is this the familiar fairy tale? No of course not - these bears are called Dash, Charlie and Theo and they live beside the sea and love to play in the sand. On returning from their time at the beach the three bears take advantage of the fact that their mother is away from home. There is a glorious jar of honey on the mantle. Look at the title page - the three have been longing to grab this and now there is an opportunity. Struggling to reach the 'forbidden' jar they accidentally knock their mother's precious blue shell off the shelf. It is smashed in to small fragments.

"Afraid of their mother, who, after all was a bear, the three fled from their house down to the beach where they huddled behind their boat."

Look at the words here. Fled - they are terrified of the consequences. Huddled - you can feel these three youngsters trembling.

What will they do? Go home, face their mother and admit they were naughty or follow Dash's suggestion and try to find a replacement shell.  Here is another beautifully placed word:

"And so just like that, the sly bears slide their boat into the sea and set sail."

Sly- they know they have done the wrong thing but they think they can cover their tracks and mother will never know!

The three meet an old salty who advises them to head to a small island shaped like a hat. "If you look in the right place, I reckon you'll find it."  I love the idea that they sail "further than they had ever gone before."  This truly is an adventure. Maybe it will be even more scary than facing up to their mother!

Image source: https://bookriot.com/2015/01/09/one-look-favorite-picture-book-art-2014/

There is no shell on the island even though they explore everywhere including a scary cave. If you were using this book with an older group of children it would be interesting to draw a feelings graph because at this point in the story emotions spill over and the three start to apportion blame. They don't notice that a wild storm is approaching. Now they need to forgive and forget and work out how to survive.

Look at this line - it made me smile:

"They didn't care whose fault it was anymore, they were all in the same boat."

When you pick up this book take time to look at the end papers. They are perfect.

I've been collecting images of books I want to read and this was one in my file. I found it in a library yesterday but as usual I can't remember why or where it was listed.

Three Bears in a Boat was published in 2014. Watch this video where David Soman talks about his book - it will make you laugh.

There is so much more to this book which the wonderful Betsy Bird discovers and explains in her review for the School Library Journal. I would not have recognised references to Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick and I have no idea about the third boat which Betsy thinks keen children's literature fans will recognise from the checkerboard, lantern and toy sailing boat. I am not sure about Betsy's idea about the name of the boat - Ursula K - I think this refers to ursula meaning little bear. Although the placement of K does support her idea that it is a reference Ursula K LeGuin.

I love her idea of comparing Three Bears in a Boat with Where the Wild things are. Both are about journeys and adventures and explorations without parents but it is the words at the end of each that deserve special attention.

Where the Wild Things are: "and into the night of his very own room where he found his supper waiting for him and it was still hot."
Three bears in a boat: "Then she bought them inside for a warm supper. But they didn't get any dessert."

I think you could have a wonderful discussion with older children about these endings. Talking about concepts like consequences, punishments, honesty, responsibility, truth and love.

I would pair this book with with Humphrey's Bear and Once upon a small Rhinoceros. You could also compare Three Bears in a Boat with the stories by Ursula Dubosarsky in Honey and Bear.

As I read this book I kept remembering a small book from my former school library which would be great to pair with Three Bears in a Boat. I looked in the online catalogue but could not locate it. I am sad now to discover this book has been removed from their collection along with many other special and important titles. I do hope I can find this one in another library. This is a truly special book that should be shared with young children.

There are page turns where you simply sit for a moment and linger, looking at the new vista before you until you are ready to read the words on the page. Waking Brain Cells


Humorous and intelligent—and with watercolor seascapes so luminous that readers will want to jump in—this is a book to be treasured for years to come. Kirkus Star Review

The Paper House by Lois Peterson

"Safiyah stodd ankle-deep in garbage near the top of the dump.   Below her lay the Kibera slum, a patchwork of rusty tin roofs.  A thick blanket of cloud and dirty smoke hid the concrete buildings and busy roads of nearby Nairobi. ... Safiyah sold most of the stuff she found at the dump.  It was the only way to make money for a pound of maize or some tea.  Sometimes a breadfruit for Cucu, her grandmother, who loved them so much."

The Paper House is another book that I found during our library stocktake. This is one of those slim volumes (108 pages) with a powerful story.

While Safiyah is digging through the rubbish dump she finds some magazines.  She takes them home and with her friend Pendo she pulls some of her favourite pictures out of the glossy magazines.  As Safiyah looks at these images she can see patterns and a picture forms in her mind.  The hut she shares with her beloved grandmother is draughty and cold.  Safiyah stuffs the cracks in the walls with torn pages from the magazines but then she has the idea of papering the outside.  Her friend borrows some scissors and glue from her school and Safiyah begins to create her murals but her work is suddenly interrupted when Cucu is taken ill and Safiyah moves into the hospital to stay by her side. 

You can read the full details of the plot here but this might spoil the story so I recommend reading this heart warming and evocative tale first.  There is an excellent little trailer here.  This blog will give you some teaching ideas and further links.