The Nightlife of Jacuzzi Gaskett

Co-op available Stickered samples available (ALA) 6-city national tour National print and online reviews and features campaign, aligned to Common Core Standards and Lexile Library promotion Social media and online promotion Regional NPR interviews Targeted outreach to 50 independent school librarians in New York City for in depth NYC tour Buy-in from SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) and We Need Diverse Books and raceconscious.org Promotions through the illustrator’s website and Instagram. (www.eliserpeterson.com; @eliserpeterson)

At night, Jacuzzi cares for his baby brother, makes a blender cyclone, ponders life, and waits for mama’s arrival home.The first children’s book from multi-genre artist Brontez Purnell, a 2018 winner of the Whiting Award, sweetly portrays a common but rarely narrated childhood experience—having a single parent and taking care of a younger sibling. With illustrations by Brooklyn artist Elise R. Peterson, The Nightlife of Jacuzzi Gaskett recounts 11-year-old Jacuzzi’s evening activities while he cares for his baby brother and waits for mama’s arrival home. He ponders his dad, school, and his future—and when his brother wakes up, Jacuzzi knows just how to get him back to sleep.