A challenging, inventive tale that works best for young dancers.
Ballet terms abound in this beautifully illustrated, advanced-concept counting book written by dance teacher and debut author Malek-Ahmadi.
Counting down from 10 to two, then zero, then back up to one, this book shows ballet students performing many familiar—and less familiar—moves and positions. As the story opens, all 10 dancers, depicted in a variety of skin tones and gender expressions, stand at or near the barre performing “Pliés, tendus, dégagés all looking fine. // One chaînés away and now there are // Nine.” As the students leave the room in a variety of moves, the rhyme scheme for each number in the countdown has an odd rhythm. The first line, which describes the remaining group of students, has no rhyming word. The second and third lines, which lead to the next number in the countdown, use a rhyming couplet typical of counting books. The text, full of French words and terms, may cause some young readers and their parents to stumble, but a partially illustrated glossary offers helpful pronunciation tips and translations. Gutkovskiy, whose action-packed ink-and-watercolor illustrations have appeared in books such as Bad Bad Dog (2020), accurately depicts the different positions and movements, making them recognizable to young dancers. A twist at the end, in which the students return to celebrate their teacher, leaves readers with a cheery tone.
A challenging, inventive tale that works best for young dancers.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-947408-25-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: The Small-Tooth Dog Publishing Group
Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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