Terrific for cowgirls and bike riders everywhere. (Picture book. 4-7)
Giddy-up, bicycle girl!
This horse-loving cowgirl is quick with her pedals and getting ready to compete in a bike rodeo at the county fair. Reigning champ and neighborhood cowboy A.J. Pickett is sure to be competition, but Nellie Sue, resplendent in her girly cowgirl gear, just knows that she and her two-wheeled horse, Beauty, are going to win. Energetic, pink-strewn illustrations with plenty of action show the heroine practicing and later attending the long-anticipated fair. The day itself is full of various delights, and Nellie Sue gets to pet the animals, sample the food and even take part in a pie-eating contest. Then it’s time for the rodeo to begin, and our heroine is up first! Will she win? When fate intervenes, Nellie Sue is stoic; for “even more than a blue ribbon, every cowgirl should have a badge of honor.” This paean to good sportsmanship and friendship is suspenseful, nicely paced and infused with exciting details that will appeal to both the princess and the tomboy sets.
Terrific for cowgirls and bike riders everywhere. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 24, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3734-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Attractive, slyly humorous illustrations, simple text and a related craft included at the end all serve to make this a...
In his fourth outing for emergent readers, Boris, a warthog, shares a camping misadventure with his two friends, Frederick and Alice.
Boris’ parents help the trio set up in the backyard for their night of camping. The first several pages all feature bits of brief text—“Dad helped them light a campfire”—that sharply and humorously contrast with the cartoon illustrations, as, for example, Dad tries and tries but can’t quite get the fire started. Eventually, Mom and Dad go off to bed, leaving the brave campers to gradually become frightened of the breezy night. One after another, they head out, the first looking for a safer spot and the other two searching for their missing friend. Reunited, hiding under a shrub, they notice a bright—and very scary—light beyond the fence. (It turns out to be a neighbor trying out his new putter while wearing a caving helmet.) In a predictable conclusion, the children finally opt to sleep indoors. Like others in this series, this brief effort has the shape of an early chapter book but the content of a very early reader, giving children a welcome sense of accomplishment as they breeze through it.
Attractive, slyly humorous illustrations, simple text and a related craft included at the end all serve to make this a welcome addition to collections for beginning readers. (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-48454-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
Alas, not the stuff of dreams for balletomane readers.
Toe shoes and tutus are the stuff of dreams for a rabbit.
Parisian Désirée Rabbit tells her story in the first person. She has been dancing from childhood and knows that she is destined to be a ballerina. Unfortunately, the receptionist at the ballet school is adamant in her opposition. Madame Molotov (more correctly “Madame Molotova,” and even then, what an odd choice of names) states that “there are NO BUNNIES in the ballet.” Not one to give up, Désirée shows off her many moves, and the ballet master sees talent and drive. She practices, she rehearses, and she gets a role as a pet rabbit in The Nutcracker, dropping all her carrots with excitement at the honor. In an all-too-familiar moment, a featured dancer is injured, and Désirée hops in to applause and acclaim. Beck, a former dancer, borrows from such classics as 42nd Street for his oft-told tale of the chorine/corps member achieving stardom. His ink-and-watercolor artwork depicts dancers and Parisian scenes with swift, loose strokes against a white background. These lines look more preliminary than finished, and they suggest rather than demonstrate ballet steps. Though they evoke movement, such a treatment is not acceptable for a dance form that is so precise with its arm and leg placements. And the bunny in her tutu has lost all her plump appeal.
Alas, not the stuff of dreams for balletomane readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-42930-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
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