There’s more than basketball to this charming story set in Mexico. Young Gustavo (Tavo) lives to play the game, even though he has a hard time in his falling-apart sneakers. When his father enlists his help in revitalizing the old irrigation ditches during a summer of drought, Tavo sadly has little time to play. The hard work of ditch digging, however, does bring water from the mountains to the parched fields, and salvages both the corn crop and his father’s reputation. Tavo loses his shoes, now in pieces, in the swiftly flowing water, effectively ending his basketball playing. However, a kind deed to an old woman we never see (a bruja—witch—perhaps?) results in the recovery of the shoes, now refurbished and infused with mysterious energy. Gloriously quilted (a future fashion trend?), the dazzling shoes and the muscle Tavo has acquired digging the ditches give his basketball game new power. The colorful, impressionistic illustrations are full of movement and feeling. Bravo, Tavo, indeed. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-525-47478-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
Lulu’s piano teacher, Mr Sharp, is a pretty sharp guy indeed, dressed all in black and sporting a bowtie, and it turns out he is quite a good teacher, too. On Monday, Lulu swings, and the swings go, “Squeak, squeak,” so that when Mom says it is time for piano practice, Lulu says, “Later.” But “ ‘[l]ater’ came and ‘later’ went.” On Tuesday Lulu rides her bike, ringing the bell, and when Mom calls her for practice, “ ‘[s]oon’ came and ‘soon’ went.” This goes on all week, but then it is Friday and time for her next lesson. Lulu admits to Mr Sharp that she hasn’t practiced, but he asks her what she did do, and she describes and then sings all the sounds she heard. Mr Sharp has her play them on the piano, and she puts the sounds and the music together. Collage and digital art make for flattened surfaces and stylized shapes, enlivened by varying perspectives. Lulu has a beautiful head of bushy, curly hair and bright blue eyes. As lessons go, it’s a mighty nice one. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-88776-930-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2010
Bronson earns high marks for dazzling visuals in her solo debut, even if the rhymed captions don’t always measure up. Inviting viewers under the Big Top, she offers a succession of stylized circus performers bent into paired letters: a leaping Clown frames posed Dogs; a joey leans out from its mother’s pouch to form a “K” next to two (striped?!?) Lions; a glittering Ringmaster places one foot forward and bends into an elegant bow to create his letter. Too many of the accompanying lines are just filler: “O is for outrageous, a true work of art. / P is for performer, just doing her part.” But, crafted from modeling clay, paint, and inventively used craft items, and topped by Picasso-esque double faces, her long, skinny figures gesture and posture in grand style. The bright colors and eccentric forms command attention, and if children skip the text, they won’t miss much. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-6294-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2001
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