Superluminous

January 13, 2020
“Nour was born luminous,” begins De Haes, depicting in sunny yellows a radiant infant cradled by her parents, glowing “as though a little sun was/ shining right inside of her.” The brown-skinned girl literally shines, her luminescence emboldening her to explore “the darkest, dreariest corners” of the house. Though she prefers spending time alone rather than with others, Nour dons a superhero outfit for the first day of school, determined to make friends. But upon encountering mixed responses to her light (“glowing is not a real superpower”), she retreats into self-doubt, and her resplendence dims to a flicker. It takes nighttime evoking an unfamiliar fear—the dark—to show Nour that sharing her “superluminous” powers can help “light up” the world. De Haes weaves together a tender narrative about self-image with striking illustrations in a warm, gold-tinged palette. Ages 3–5.

Starred review from February 15, 2020
Nour's inner light doesn't feel special when she starts school, but when she shares it with her baby sister, she is reassured of its value. Nour was born "luminous. She glows. She sparkles. As though a little sun was shining right inside of her." Nour's light "makes her feel special," and she uses it to light up dark corners and to chase away monsters and ghosts. On her first day of school, Nour is nervous but excited. Her light draws attention, but soon the other kids minimize her glow, and one even asks her to turn it down. Nour believes the other kids and decides she's "not that special." She starts to wish she were invisible, and she begins to hide her light so she won't be noticed. One night, when her light is "almost out," she hears her baby sister crying. She cuddles up with her sister and falls asleep wanting to give her light to her. After a wordless spread showing a room alight with the glow from the crib, they awake to find that sharing her light has not only spread it to her sister, but increased her own light. Soft yellows, browns, and greens with dynamic lines draw readers' eyes to the pages of this lovely story, whose emotional depth stands up to many readings. Nour--which means "light" in Arabic--and her sister are brown with curly hair; their mom presents white, and their father is brown. Warm and satisfying. (Picture book. 4-9)

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May 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-Young Nour is proud of her luminosity, but when classmates are unimpressed or insulting about her professed super power, the girl blankets her sparkly glow in heavy clothes. She re-employs her talent to comfort her baby sister one night and the siblings wake up dazzling together. The gift spreads to their parents and Nour "realizes just by looking people in the eye and smiling" she can spread her light. It's a splendid message, quietly conveyed, but readers may be challenged by the small typeface, which is further daunting when in gold or white. VERDICT Not recommended. Despite a sweet lesson, the concept is advanced for young readers and the gold and yellow palette is monotonous.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

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