I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, I believe my library had this listed as a graphic novel. This is a picture book, which isn't bad, it's just an adjustment of expectations. I think it is good for picture books to cover heavy topics.
A Goodreads friend of mine mentioned that his tween kids skipped the Author's Note in the back, perhaps it would have been better to make it more of an afterward, with images and less text dense to make it more likely to be read by others.