Review of Julius

by Martha V. Parravano
Sep 19, 2024 | Filed in Book Reviews

Julius Julius
by Angela Johnson; illus. by Dav Pilkey
Primary    Scholastic    32 pp.
11/23    9781338898330    $14.99

Only-child Maya, a young Black girl, receives a present from her granddaddy: an unruly and very large pink pig named Julius to be her companion. Julius creates chaos in the household but also brings a riot of fun and joy to Maya’s life. Exuberant, boldly colored, and inventive illustrations in acrylic, watercolor, fabric, instant coffee (see “inventive”), crayon, and India ink use a variety of purposely unsettling perspectives while always centering Maya and Julius’s experiences. A reissue of a 1993 picture book with an unexpected but winning author/illustrator pairing.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Martha V. Parravano

Martha V. Parravano is a contributing editor to The Horn Book, Inc., and co-author of the Calling Caldecott blog.

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