The ballerina-to-be explores new and challenging steps—successfully.
To toe or to tap—that is the question for Tallulah.
Tallulah happily looks forward to summer dance classes except for one hitch. She will have to take tap lessons. Younger brother Beckett is eager for them, but Tallulah is disdainful. As expected, she does well in ballet, even receiving compliments from the teacher. A girl in her class, Kacie, is also not a happy camper. She is a tap dancer and loves it because it is “so much cooler.” In her continuing tales of the Brooklyn balletomane, Singer sets up a see-saw scenario that sees Tallulah struggle with tapping and Kacie grapple with ballet. Self-confidence takes a direct hit as both girls refuse to face less-than-stellar class performances. When Kacie turns up as a surprise dinner guest, Beckett prods the two girls into admitting their fears. They help each other with steps and exchange friendship bracelets. Boiger continues to provide lovely watercolor paintings; summery greens for the camp setting and for costumes are just the right touch. Endpapers depict the four moves in tap’s flap step. Kacie demonstrates them at the beginning of the book, and Tallulah joins her at the conclusion. And, of course, Tallulah’s front-cover green-and-pink tutu is satisfyingly glittery.
The ballerina-to-be explores new and challenging steps—successfully. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-23687-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2015
Powered by whimsy and nostalgia, a doggone adorable tale of superheroes transforming the world for the better.
Can flying puppies, fueled by people’s hugs, save the world from gloom?
Light-skinned Snarly McBummerpants is busy sending out Mopey Smokes (evil-looking dark brown clouds) from his volcano on the Island of Woe to create a sad state of affairs. But the caped puppies, each equipped with a rocket and hailing from “the outer reaches of NOT-FROM-HERE,” use their abilities to conquer the morose McBummerpants and bring happiness back to everyone’s lives. The meticulously detailed illustrations carry the story, dark colors turning to rainbow hues and frowns turning to smiles. From Big Brad to Tiny Brad, the smallest, most powerful puppy, who “[licks] a kiss right on the tip of Snarly McBummerpants’s nose,” these absolutely endearing pooches elicit a universal “AWWWWWWWWWW!” from all who encounter them. Joyce’s witty illustrations depict diverse children and adults who appear to hail from different decades. Two teenagers wear the bobby socks and saddle shoes of the 1940s and ’50s and sit atop a retro soda cooler. Other kids ride the skateboards of a later era. Laurel and Hardy, classic movie performers who may need introduction, are amusingly pictured as bullies turned florists (a little odd, since only Hardy bullied Laurel). Even McBummerpants seems reminiscent of an old-time movie villain. The text is less inventive than the pictures, but the message of good over evil is always timely.
Powered by whimsy and nostalgia, a doggone adorable tale of superheroes transforming the world for the better. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781665961332
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
Halloween might be scary; independence needn’t be.
A pumpkin gets plenty of excitement on Halloween.
Little Orange Pumpkin sits on the porch with her parents on Halloween night. They review three rules: Remember your manners when given candy; no eating any until getting their OK; stay close. While Little Pumpkin thinks she’s old enough to trick-or-treat alone, her parents believe otherwise. Frustrated and angry, she rolls off the porch, under which she sees a warm orange light. Curious, Little Pumpkin follows it to a hole leading to a wooden door. In front of her is a spooky house. A monster, reminiscent of Daddy, offers a tour. A series of exciting adventures ensue, in which she meets and proves her mettle by engaging with skeletons, goblins, ghosts, a witch (resembling Mommy), a gargoyle, a vampire, bats, and spiders. When Little Pumpkin returns home, her parents assure her that they’re not mad and still love her, even though she shouted. Little Pumpkin concedes that she wants them to observe the third rule: Stay close. This is an enjoyable tale with an uplifting message. Readers will appreciate the Halloween trappings, which form a backdrop for its real story: a child desiring independence, taking those first tentative steps toward it, and being assured of a warm welcome by loving parents. The colorful digital illustrations are animated and filled with non-frightening Halloween characters and symbols. Background humans are diverse.
Halloween might be scary; independence needn’t be. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728289595
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
