A tale of unquestioning support and acceptance that will buoy readers, especially aspiring dancers.
A group of young children find friendship and utter joy in the world of ballet.
Thomas, a brown-skinned child with short, curly hair, holds a doll dressed in a purple ballet costume and tells readers, “I’m Thomas, and I want to be a ballet kid.” In brief, spare language, Thomas describes their feelings about ballet class and the friends who share it. Thomas introduces readers to each friend as they meet on a snowy day on their way to class with their parents and provides readers with information about class procedures and exercises, carefully defining ballet terms. With Christmas around the corner, the children, led by their teacher, Mr. Elliot, are preparing for a performance of The Nutcracker and are given the opportunity to choose their roles and costumes. Thomas checks out several possibilities but finally selects a purple, sparkly costume and becomes the Sugar Plum Fairy. Though Thomas initially feels a few butterflies of anxiety, they embrace the role wholeheartedly after a pep talk from Mr. Elliot, and a grand performance follows. Seamlessly interwoven illustrations depict a cozy, warm setting where Mr. Elliot and the children offer encouragement and compliments. One of Thomas’ parents is tan-skinned; the other is darker-skinned. Mr. Elliot presents as White, and the children in the class are diverse. Thomas and his friends will win readers’ hearts. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A tale of unquestioning support and acceptance that will buoy readers, especially aspiring dancers. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2037-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books.
Curious about the Big Wide World outside his Sasquatch community, Hugo makes a friend who is of it.
Sasquatch Hugo’s bedroom is inside a cave and possesses the charming feature of a small stream running through it that he can sail his little toy boat on. It’s cool, but he yearns to see the Big Wide World. When he asks his smart friend Gigi if a Sasquatch might become a sailor, she says it’s possible but would be difficult—the primary rule of their people is to not be seen by Humans. Then, in everyone’s favorite Hide and Go Sneak class, which is held outside, a Human appears; Hugo laughs at the sight, drawing Human attention in a taboo-breaking mistake. Shortly after, Hugo’s toy boat floats into the cave with a Human toy—soon, it’s facilitating a pen-pal–type relationship that’s derailed when Hugo confesses to being a Sasquatch and Human Boone, a budding cryptozoologist, doesn’t believe him. How Hugo and Boone resolve this misapprehension and become friends in a joint search for the Ogopogo concludes this series opener. Potter keeps the third-person narrative tightly focused on Hugo’s perspective, and the details she uses to flesh out the Sasquatch world are delightfully playful. Sala’s drawings depict a homey Sasquatch cavern community, Boone as a freckled, white boy, and Hugo as a hairily benevolent behemoth.
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books. (final art unseen) (Fantasy. 5-9)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2859-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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