Review: Sky Up! by Patrice Augustus-Brown, illustrated by Fiona Morrison

It's Saturday, and eight-year-old Josiah is spending the day at his Dad's barbershop while Mum takes brother Shannon to football. But this time Josiah is not having a haircut—he's got homework to do which gets him thinking about future career choices. As customers come and go for trims and restyles, they offer Josiah useful advice while he ponders grown-up jobs. From pilot to scientist, footballer to vlogger, he soon realises there's a world of endless possibilities, so what on earth will he choose?

Patrice Augustus-Brown's endearing picture book has a really optimistic vibe, signalled from the outset by a brightly coloured inspirational poster on Josiah's bedroom wall. Josiah is portrayed as a conscientious, well-mannered, confident Black boy, brought up in a loving family whose winning mantra is 'everyt'ing sky up'.

I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of familiar cultural details throughout: the cornmeal porridge, Miss Jonhson's Ankara-patterned skirt, reggae music, hair gloss, olive oil sheen spray, and a variety of afro hairstyles lovingly illustrated by Fiona Morrison. The reversal of 'brand new' to 'new bran' on the barbershop sign is also a lovely nod to the distinctive Caribbean syntax—just how my late Jamaican grandpa would speak—which only those in the know will understand! 

Although it's not explicitly spelled out there are textual and pictorial cues suggesting the family is of dual Caribbean and West African heritage, and it's refreshing to see a different blend of family being represented, not just Black with white as is often the case. 

In the story, we see how Dad's successful entrepreneurship and strong work ethic filter down and heavily influence Josiah's thoughts, and although this father-son bond is a definite strength, it would have been even better to see Mum included in the role of fostering Josiah's business brain. 

Josiah, whose name is sometimes unfortunately shortened to Jiz, is driven in his quest to gain knowledge, taking the initiative to ask the adults questions so he can learn and make informed decisions. Children in KS1 might also enjoy thinking about the jobs they'd like to do when they grow up and learning the meanings of the words 'kidpreneur' and 'entrepreneur'. They might also want to create their own positive affirmation posters.

Sky Up! is a lighthearted affirming story that reminds us of the crucial role parents/carers and members of the community play in nurturing not only children's confidence and sense of ambition but their ability to become financially savvy from an early age in an increasingly capitalist world.  

All the Black children's books that I review are checked against my Jericho Benchmark.