BILLIE JEAN PEET, ATHLETE

The seventh title in the Questioneers picture-book series finds a second grader bouncing back following epic embarrassment on the basketball court.

Billie Jean is the tuneless middle child in a musical family. She’s shown some talent for basketball, but she wins no hometown fans at the Shindig of Cheeses and Sports: After she takes a shot, “she jumps up and down, and her heart fills with pride… / which melts to a HORRIBLE feeling inside… / because she just scored… / for the opposite side.” Later, the pale-skinned Billie Jean’s on-court shoelace mishap leads to a eureka moment, an attitude adjustment, and a newfound confidence that helps her make a last-second shot: “By mixing two things to make something brand new, / she found her own song in what she loved to do.” As in the other Questioneers picture books, the “be yourself” message goes down easy, embedded in a propulsive story and powered by zippy rhymes. As for the art, Roberts delivers his customary fastidious lines and sublimely detailed work: The faces of even the story’s bystanders, who are depicted in a wide range of skin tones, brim with personality, further enhanced by bespoke hairstyles. Beaty’s author’s note confirms what older readers may have already surmised: Billie Jean is named for another impressive athlete—tennis great King.

This dare-to-be-different story is another win from the Questioneers team.