An account of a sports pioneer that should be widely read and shared.
A long-overdue spotlight on a trailblazing athlete.
Hubbard tells the story of Mabel Fairbanks, the first Black woman to join the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Mabel was born in Florida in 1915 and orphaned at age 8. After moving to New York City to live with relatives, she was briefly homeless before landing a job as a live-in nanny. When the family no longer required Mabel’s services, she was taken in by Wally Hunter (known as Uncle Wally), a part-time handyman who lived in the family’s building and was the first person who really took care of her. Mabel had always longed to learn to skate, but she was denied admission to the skating rink because she was Black. Uncle Wally, who worked in an ice cream factory, used his knowledge of dry ice to build an in-home skating rink in their apartment, launching a storied career—Mabel would go on to become a legendary athlete and coach who trained Olympians Tai Babilonia, Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Debi Thomas, Rudy Galindo, and Tiffany Chin. Depicting Mabel’s frustrations, loneliness, and joy as well as her athletic prowess, Harris’ warm, expressive digital illustrations pair well with Hubbard’s straightforward yet inspiring text. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An account of a sports pioneer that should be widely read and shared. (afterword, bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-62014-956-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An approachable explanation of tenacity, friendship, and hope.
Soren is determined to revamp the song of his fellow humpback whales.
Finding the music of the older male whales “outrageously boring,” Soren opts for something catchy, with sounds reminiscent of maracas. Eager to share his new music, Soren performs for his friends, and Hans offers his opinion: That was the worst song ever. After many more revisions (seven iterations altogether), Soren lands on one that becomes a hit under the sea. Eggers tackles important themes—the challenges of the creative process, which entails unavoidable laboring, and the necessity of trustworthy friends willing to give honest feedback. Thanks to Soren’s dogged persistence and Eggers’ tongue-in-cheek humor, these complex concepts become accessible for young readers. Hoffmann’s illustrations depict the widely smiling whales with expressive faces and accessories, like Hans’ red deerstalker hat. The sea creatures have personality, and the underwater world is filled with movement and energy. It helps that Soren is a likable character, but the repeated back-and-forth of the seven versions of the song starts to get tedious, making the book a lengthy read. That said, inspiration finally strikes when Soren learns to look outside his cave at the beauty around him—a lovely point well made. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An approachable explanation of tenacity, friendship, and hope. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781951836733
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Cameron Kids
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Music takes center stage and bullies get properly pun-ished in this hearty and wholesome howl.
In this picture book from singer Parton and co-author Perl, a small French bulldog goes to Nashville, joins a band, fends off bullies, and meets one of the queens of country music.
Promising at the outset that this is just the first of a series of adventures starring her beloved “god-dog,” Parton goes on to hit all the conventional thematic notes. Inspired by musical dreams, Billy heads for Nashville. After a “ruff day” in which being scorned by big dogs for not being a “true muttropolitan” leaves him feeling “lower than a stick on the ground,” he eats some flowers, strums some tunes, forms a band with a trio of little dogs, and, after sending the big pooches packing, trots out a “pawsome” performance at the “Battle of the Bow-Wows.” And from there it’s on to the Grand Ole Opry to hear his big-haired favorite singer warble out lines from her song “Makin’ Fun Ain’t Funny,” about celebrating differences rather than mocking them. Haley slips those lines, along with references to “Jowlene” and “I will pawlways love you,” into painted scenes of an all-dog-or-Dolly cast set against swirls of music and simply drawn backdrops. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Music takes center stage and bullies get properly pun-ished in this hearty and wholesome howl. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780593661574
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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