For the little divas who need a little nudge to perform as big as their dreams.
A young girl must overcome stage fright.
The first thing you must know about Etta Extraordinaire is that she is nothing less than fab-tacular, complete with a feather boa and pearls from her late Grandma Bess. “She can pluck a poem out of thin air, make a megaphone from old magazines, and can always find a lucky penny.” When the young Black girl finds a note for the school’s talent show, her visions of grandeur go into overdrive—until she remembers, with butterflies in her tummy, that she’s never performed onstage before. Etta puts in motion a four-step plan to make the ordinary extraordinary. Scrounging up supplies from around her home, Etta creates a makeshift stage, practices, finds a costume, and puts on a show in her own room. But belting out tunes onstage in front of people is a different story. When the big moment arrives, our on-the-fly diva has no plan for a case of the jitters. Just as she’s shaking in her lucky pearls, she takes a deep breath, opens her eyes, and suddenly gets a much-needed boost from the ones who love and support her. The digital illustrations are sprightly and vivid, filling each page with details to entertain the eyes, while the story will speak to anyone who’s ever been wracked by performance anxiety.
For the little divas who need a little nudge to perform as big as their dreams. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9780063295711
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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