The classic child’s game of follow-the-leader springs to life in a convivial tale of sibling play. Inside on a snowy day, two brothers frolic through the house, letting their imaginations soar as they enact the creative commands of the eldest. Together they hop about imitating various animals, do handstands, twirl, juggle imaginary objects, and much more. Silverman’s (Raisel’s Riddle, 1999, etc.) bouncy rhymes capture the energy of the siblings as they bound through the game. “Climb up the jungle gym. Dangle. Then jump. Sit on a swing and pump, pump, pump, pump!” She adeptly conveys the nuances of sibling relationships and rivalry—from the preemptory tone of the older brother to the younger one’s attempts at independence. Underneath the play is a message about taking turns—with the older brother eventually, gracefully conceding his leader status to his younger sibling. The illustrations of the round-headed brothers have an appealing cartoon-like quality to them and are a perfect venue for the humorous tale. Karas’s (High-Rise Private Eyes, p. 964, etc.) vivacious, full-color drawings combine the twosome’s flights of fancy with their pragmatic, homemade props—e.g., a trio of stuffed animals becomes a circus menagerie, and a white polka-dot quilt transforms a hodgepodge pile of objects into a snow-covered ski slope. The possibilities are limitless in this imaginative romp, which will have readers eagerly anticipating their own follow-the-leader adventures. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2000
ISBN: 0-374-32423-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2000
Categories: CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
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Dancing is one of the most universal elements of cultures the world over.
In onomatopoeic, rhyming text, Bolling encourages readers to dance in styles including folk dance, classical ballet, breakdancing, and line dancing. Read aloud, the zippy text will engage young children: “Tappity Tap / Fingers Snap,” reads the rhyme on the double-page spread for flamenco; “Jiggity-Jig / Zig-zag-zig” describes Irish step dancing. The ballet pages stereotypically include only children in dresses or tutus, but one of these dancers wears hijab. Overall, children included are racially diverse and vary in gender presentation. Diaz’s illustrations show her background in animated films; her active child dancers generally have the large-eyed sameness of cartoon characters. The endpapers, with shoes and musical instruments, could become a matching game with pages in the book. The dances depicted are described at the end, including kathak from India and kuku from Guinea, West Africa. Unfortunately, these explanations are quite rudimentary. Kathak dancers use their facial expressions extensively in addition to the “movements of their hands and their jingling feet,” as described in the book. Although today kuku is danced at all types of celebrations in several countries, it was once done after fishing, an activity acknowledged in the illustrations but not mentioned in the explanatory text.
The snappy text will get toes tapping, but the information it carries is limited. (Informational picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63592-142-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
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BOOK REVIEW
The beat is all around her when a girl takes a walk in the park with her mother.
On a lovely summer day, a young African-American girl in a bright pink sundress and matching sneakers sees, smells, sings, claps and snaps her fingers to an internal rhythm. As a boom box plays its song and a drummer taps his beat, neighborhood children join her in an energetic, pulsating dance culminating in a rousing musical parade. Schofield-Morrison’s brief text has a shout-it-out element as each spread resounds with a two-word phrase: “I shook a rhythm with my hips. /SHAKE SHAKE”; “I tapped the rhythm with my toes. / TIP TAP.” Morrison’s full-bleed, textured oil paintings capture the joy of a mother and daughter in an urban park surrounded by musicians, food vendors and many exuberant children. Read this aloud with music playing loudly—not in the background. Morrison is a Coretta Scott King/New Talent Award winner, and this is a fine debut for his wife in their first collaboration.
A lively celebration of music and expressive dance. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 3, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61963-178-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
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