MISS LINA'S BALLERINAS AND THE WICKED WISH

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MISS LINA'S BALLERINAS AND THE WICKED WISH

Name: MISS LINA'S BALLERINAS AND THE WICKED WISH
Author: Grace Maccarone
ISBN: 978-1-250-00580-9

by Grace Maccarone & illustrated by Christine Davenier ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2, 2012

Applause for another lovely production from the author-and-illustrator duo.

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One of Miss Lina’s nine lovely ballerinas suffers pangs of jealously when casting is announced for The Sleeping Beauty.

Regina falls off balance when the company director holds auditions, resulting in a domino effect for the other eight girls and the one boy, Tony Farina. She and Tony will perform as rats who pull the Bad Fairy’s carriage, while the others will hold aloft garlands as they waltz. Unhappy thoughts fill Regina’s heart and head as she goes to bed. “She wished to waltz, and that was that!” In her dreams, all the girls fall ill and suffer injuries, but dancing their roles is too-too much for poor Regina. She wishes them well and awakens to find her wish has come true. On opening night, all dance with “spirit and heart” and “very pretty poses,” which are followed by a “shower of roses.” Once again, Maccarone has crafted an appealing story in verse. The subject matter turns more serious this time around as Regina visualizes the consequences of her bad feelings and tames them. Davenier’s delicate, pastel-hued illustrations convey Regina's full range of emotions, and a lovely double-page-spread finale depicts an inviting scene from the ballet.

Applause for another lovely production from the author-and-illustrator duo. (glossary of ballet terms, summary of The Sleeping Beauty ballet) (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-250-00580-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

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LITTLE BROTHER PUMPKIN HEAD
by Lucia Panzieri ; illustrated by Samantha Enria translated by Grace Maccarone

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THE NUTCRACKER
by Grace Maccarone ; illustrated by Célia Chauffrey

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THE LITTLE TREE THAT WOULD NOT SHARE
by Nicoletta Costa ; illustrated by Nicoletta Costa ; translated by Grace Maccarone

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)