More a vehicle for the music than a story that stands alone.
This adaptation of “Rapunzel” casts the heroine as a flute player and makes the witch an inadvertent do-gooder while weaving in melodies from 10 classical music pieces in this book version of a successful 2010 audio CD of the same title.
The music is well-chosen and -played on the accompanying CD, likely to offer an appealing introduction to classical themes, and it is really the book’s raison d’être. The text is set with various typefaces and spacing (helpful for reading aloud) on cheery illustrations, apparently crayon and watercolors. A cartoonish storyteller character appears on many of the pages, and the exaggerated voices of the storyteller on the audio are similarly comedic. There’s an edge of mockery in the storytelling and the pictures that may be more appropriate for adults who share the story with children than the target audience itself. When Green Golly (the Rapunzel character) tells the bee that the music she has played for it was composed by Rimsky Korsakov, “the big fuzzball” replies, “Of course-a-kov.” A therapeutic talking mouse is a surprise addition. After the completion of the story with its appropriate musical interludes, guitar and flute play full pieces on the CD. Story and music are also available through QR codes in the book, which require downloading an app that requires registration.
More a vehicle for the music than a story that stands alone. (Fractured fairy tale. 4-10)Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-936172-62-7
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Eifrig
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2013
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Not astonishingly go-out-and-buy-it-at-graduation inspirational, but all it takes is one seed of change to be planted.
Imagination soars—quite literally—when a little girl follows her own set of rules.
Every year Oak Hill School has a go-kart race called the Going Places contest. Students are given identical go-kart kits with a precise set of instructions. And of course, every single kart ends up exactly the same. Every one, that is, except Maya’s. Maya is a dreamy artist, and she would rather sketch birds in her backyard than get caught up in the competition. When she finally does start working, she uses the parts in the go-kart box but creates something completely different. No one ever said it had to be a go-kart. Maya’s creative thinking inspires Rafael, her neighbor (and the most enthusiastic Going Places contestant), to ask to team up. The instructions never say they couldn’t work together, either! An ode to creativity and individuality to be sure, but the Reynolds brothers are also taking a swipe at modern education: Endless repetition and following instructions without question create a culture of conformity. Hopefully now, readers will see infinite possibility every time the system hands them an identical go-kart box.
Not astonishingly go-out-and-buy-it-at-graduation inspirational, but all it takes is one seed of change to be planted. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-6608-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2014
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BOOK REVIEW
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