Authoritative advice to help young dancers see the value in falling.
A ballerina gives tips to young dancers on how to fall—safely—and use those techniques to improve their ballet in this illustrated children’s guide.
In the voice of Ballerina Konora, the text begins by explaining, “This is less of a how-to book and more of a maybe-try-this book.” In a conversational tone, Konora discusses her own history as a dancer, starting from a very falling-prone toddlerhood, describing how learning to fall helped her become a better dancer—especially as modern dance tends to use more groundwork than classical ballet. After outlining the moves that are likely to cause falls (starting pointe being a prime offender), Konora moves on to teaching readers to fall safely, offering step-by-step instructions that some might find familiar from their own dance, theater, or martial arts classes. Training to fall safely helps dancers to choreograph their own motions, drawing inspiration from nature and designing dances that tell stories, both new and familiar, through movement. As in previous books from the Once Upon a Dance series, the author strikes a conversational tone, using both the real-world experiences and the ballet persona of Konora to share advice. Some of this counsel may be counter to what students hear in their own classes, as when Konora recommends that readers work with many different teachers (Konora always couches the guidance with caveats that some teachers offer different strategies). The simple phrasing and informal tone make the writing accessible for newly independent readers and dancers. Layouts that feature graphics evoking sticky notes or scrapbook pages offer permission for young readers to make their own notes or write down their own ideas. Maris’ realistic cartoon illustrations ably capture the movements depicted in the text, adding context and humor (especially when featuring the less realistic-looking animals in tutus) to the described scenarios. The eye-catching colors and humorous scenes are sure to grab a young audience’s attention, but the solid bits of advice for nascent dancers are where the real value lies.
Authoritative advice to help young dancers see the value in falling.Pub Date: July 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781955555623
Page Count: 63
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Colorful, upbeat, and just for Swifties.
What is being a Swiftie all about? Finding joy in the things you love!
For Taylor Swift and her fans, love comes from baking tasty desserts, snuggling with pets, enjoying fireworks with friends, and attending concerts. Vibrant illustrations that evoke bright pop music are scattered with references to Taylor’s life, such as a red sports jersey (a nod to her high-profile relationship with a certain Kansas City Chiefs tight end) or a stack of friendship bracelets (which devotees know are commonly made by hand and traded at Swift’s concerts). Without this prior knowledge of Swift lore, this peppy picture book may feel like a somewhat superficial, though positive, list of ways to find happiness; some readers may wish the author had included messages about acceptance and self-love, commonly found in Swift’s lyrics. Still, the intended audience will welcome it as a joyful love letter to her fans. Pops of color splash across scenes of Taylor and a racially diverse set of friends doing their favorite things atop a stark white background. The star’s recognizable fashion style and facial features are spot-on, while most other featured characters feel more generic.
Colorful, upbeat, and just for Swifties. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781665973519
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
Energetic enough to carry younger rocketeers off the launch pad if not into a very high orbit.
The bubble-helmeted feline explains what rockets do and the role they have played in sending people (and animals) into space.
Addressing a somewhat younger audience than in previous outings (Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space, 2013, etc.), Astro Cat dispenses with all but a light shower of “factoroids” to describe how rockets work. A highly selective “History of Space Travel” follows—beginning with a crew of fruit flies sent aloft in 1947, later the dog Laika (her dismal fate left unmentioned), and the human Yuri Gagarin. Then it’s on to Apollo 11 in 1969; the space shuttles Discovery, Columbia, and Challenger (the fates of the latter two likewise elided); the promise of NASA’s next-gen Orion and the Space Launch System; and finally vague closing references to other rockets in the works for local tourism and, eventually, interstellar travel. In the illustrations the spacesuited professor, joined by a mouse and cat in similar dress, do little except float in space and point at things. Still, the art has a stylish retro look, and portraits of Sally Ride and Guion Bluford diversify an otherwise all-white, all-male astronaut corps posing heroically or riding blocky, geometric spacecraft across starry reaches.
Energetic enough to carry younger rocketeers off the launch pad if not into a very high orbit. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-911171-55-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
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