A charming entry in the ongoing saga of Tallulah.
Toe shoes are de rigueur for ballerinas, and Tallulah wants them—now!
Tallulah is one determined ballet student. She wanted a tutu and got it. She wanted a starring role in a student performance and almost got it, appearing instead in the corps de ballet. Now it’s toe shoes. Her teacher explains that she can wear them when her feet stop growing. This is not a sufficient deterrent, however. Tallulah sneakily retrieves a pair discarded by an older student and takes them home. Sore feet, sore toes, inability to balance and her little brother’s exasperation after trying to help finally make her realize her teacher’s wisdom. Singer once again wisely presents a quandary faced by many little ballerinas and any other child who is told to postpone immediate gratification. Boiger’s delicate watercolors featuring bright reds and blues winningly capture Tallulah’s loving family, her dramatic if unsuccessful struggle to stand on point and her surety of future success. A double-page-spread depiction of a ballet step, échappé en pointe or demi-pointe, performed respectively by an older girl and by Tallulah, makes an excellent reference point. Little girls in tutus and little girls who dream big will find that Tallulah is a kindred spirit. A glittery cover adds to the appeal.
A charming entry in the ongoing saga of Tallulah. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 19, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-48223-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2013
The snappy text will get toes tapping, but the information it carries is limited.
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. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An early reader that kids will want to befriend.
In an odd-couple pairing of Bear and Chipmunk, only one friend is truly happy to spend the day at the beach.
“Not me!” is poor Chipmunk’s lament each time Bear expresses the pleasure he takes in sunning, swimming, and other activities at the beach. While controlled, repetitive text makes the story accessible to new readers, slapstick humor characterizes the busy watercolor-and-ink illustrations and adds interest. Poor Chipmunk is pinched by a crab, buried in sand, and swept upside down into the water, to name just a few mishaps. Although other animal beachgoers seem to notice Chipmunk’s distress, Bear cheerily goes about his day and seems blithely ignorant of his friend’s misfortunes. The playful tone of the illustrations helps soften the dynamic so that it doesn’t seem as though Chipmunk is in grave danger or that Bear is cruel. As they leave at the end of the book Bear finally asks, “Why did you come?” and Chipmunk’s sweet response caps off the day with a warm sunset in the background.
An early reader that kids will want to befriend. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3546-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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