An engaging ballet tale with a solid anti-bullying message.
A magical tree helps a young dancer deal with bullies in this 13th installment of a picture-book series.
Andi loves dancing, but school’s a different thing. Even with a squirrel friend to keep the White child company, Andi can’t help counting the minutes until school is over. On the way to school is a beautiful tree that Andi names Gloriana. When the kid hears a voice near Gloriana that seems to say “Dance for me,” Andi decides to give it a try. After the tree responds to Andi’s dances with movements of its own, the youngster is amazed. The dancing continues to go well, but the bullies at Andi’s school only get worse when they realize the child is friends with a tree. After suggesting Andi make the tree their valentine, the bullies wander off. But Gloriana hears them, and she’s determined to win over the children without fighting. As in previous books in this series from Once Upon a Dance, each page advances the story while featuring instructions from White ballerina Konora (her stage name) on how to imitate the movements in the tale as well as perform various techniques. Because Andi practices ballet, the moves here are frequently ballet techniques, listed in French, and are best suited for use in a classroom with older kids. Ruminska’s depictions of Andi and their diverse classmates have soft, painterly outlines, and the illustrations with the tree in full bloom are particularly lovely.
An engaging ballet tale with a solid anti-bullying message.Pub Date: Jan. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-955555-34-0
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Once Upon A Dance
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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