A fun and wise little romp under the big top
A 7-year-old girl goes to live with a traveling circus when her mom gets a job there.
Piper isn’t sure she’s going to like the circus. She tries to make friends with Lexie, but Lexie isn’t interested. However, Piper meets the elephant, Ella, and becomes enchanted by the huge, friendly animal. When she learns that she can become one of the Little Explorers, a dance troupe made up of circus children, Piper decides to become the best Little Explorer ever. However, despite diligent practice, when the real performance starts in front of the huge audience, Piper becomes terrified and ruins the show. Lexie, a veteran of the Little Explorers, is not nice about it. Fortunately, Big Top Bubba, the elephant handler, and Ella show her that everyone makes mistakes, and in the circus all the other performers will help. Piper tries again—and missteps again. Can Piper think of a way to save the day? Faris allows Piper to express her turbulent emotions, completely appropriate to an energetic, excited 7-year-old, while delivering a life lesson in how to respond to embarrassment and making mistakes. Fleming’s happy, sweet drawings bring the action to life, though they do little to reflect the multiculturalism of a true circus; Piper, Lexie, and the other principals appear to be white. At the end of each chapter, the author inserts a page of facts about the circus.
A fun and wise little romp under the big top . (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5709-5
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
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
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D.
Breakout kid barber J.D. embraces a summer of opportunity.
Readers met J.D. Jones just as he took his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, by storm, winning himself community acclaim and a chair at the revered Hart and Sons barbershop in series opener J.D. and the Great Barber Battle(2021). What’s next for the haircut prodigy? School’s just getting out, and there’s so much life happening outside—if only one can escape home learning with the grandparents. J.D.’s sister, Vanessa, brings along multitalented mutual friend Jessyka to share an ambitious challenge: “Let’s start a YouTube channel!” Can they get millions of views and wow the whole world? They are already amazing at haircuts and hairstyles—all they need is to learn how to make a great YouTube video. The story models strategies for scripting short videos reflecting the templates of viral YouTube hair tutorials, inviting readers to not only see the journey of the characters, but maybe also practice these skills at home. This book is bound to educate all about some of the most storied and cherished traditions within the Black community. Bringing in Vanessa is a great touch to extend the series across gender, and hopefully she’ll get a chance to lead her own adventures. This book blends skill-building, entrepreneurship, and strong family values to give young Black children visions of what’s possible when they follow their passions and embrace their community.
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11155-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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