Probably just for dance enthusiasts and fans of the original.
A beloved 1936 children’s novel about three dancing sisters is reimagined as a picture book.
This retelling by the nephew of the original story’s author finds the Fossil sisters—Pauline, Petrova, and Posy—living in what seems to be a guest house in London. Each girl was a foundling; all are pale-skinned but differ in hair color and provenance. When the sisters are informed that they will be learning ballet, acting, and singing at the Children’s Academy of Dance and Stage Training, they fix on the idea that they will all be famous one day, and they promise one another that they’ll be “the very best that we can be.” As it happens, each sister ends up landing on a different passion: Posy is a dancing dynamo, Pauline excels at acting, and Petrova indulges her talent for fixing things by working at a garage. (A final spread resembling scrapbook pages reveals their futures.) The follow-your-own-path message is encouraging, but the book’s small events don’t add up to much of a story, and readers will be left with questions, likely because the narrative has been condensed. Most pressingly: Who is responsible for the girls’ care? Coy’s art, which appears to have been created with watercolors, tries to honor the original story’s era, but when two sisters say “Yuck!,” the spell is broken.
Probably just for dance enthusiasts and fans of the original. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9798217236633
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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