Young balletomanes will clamor to attend a live performance or perhaps aspire to dance themselves.
See The Nutcracker from the best seats in the house and from behind the curtains.
Modeled after Clement C. Moore’s “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” this book, created in partnership with the American Ballet Theatre, takes readers through the process of mounting the beloved show, with special attention paid to the youngest dancers. There are no dreams of sugarplums the night before the opening performance. Instead, these racially diverse young ones are restless, reliving the preparations that brought them to this point. First there were tense auditions, and then they learned and practiced the poses and steps before even beginning rehearsals and run-throughs with the professional adult dancers. Costumes were constructed and fitted, and the performers had their dress rehearsal. When the big day arrives, schoolwork must be done, and the dancers must warm up, don costumes, apply makeup, and have their hair styled. Finally, there are last family hugs and encouraging good wishes, and a stagehand calls out, “Places!” Allman now directs attention to the stage as readers experience the entire magical tale of The Nutcracker, followed by bows, cheers, and celebrations. Tonight, the children dream of all the fun to come in the next performances. Swaney’s illustrations spread across the pages, often showing the action in multiple spaces, depicting the grueling hard work to achieve perfection in line and movement and the utter joy of the dance. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Young balletomanes will clamor to attend a live performance or perhaps aspire to dance themselves. (scene-by-scene summary of the ballet) (Picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-18091-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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