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BALLET BRUCE

From the World of Reading series

Graceful pirouettes can be found elsewhere; giggles take the stage here.

Bruce helps the geese get ready to learn ballet in this new early reader installment.

Inspired by a poster of Swan Lake (with a swan as the ballerina), the geese decide they want to dance. Will Bruce help? Bruce, who is comfortably sitting and reading The Art of Sitting and Doing Nothing, does not want to. But the geese give him “sad goose eyes.” Even curmudgeonly Bruce can’t resist those. So he hops on his motorcycle to go to the store to buy ballet shoes. But the ride to and from town is filled with challenges (who dropped nails in the road?). Once Bruce finally gets home, the geese realize they also need “fancy dance pants.” So Bruce goes to the store once again. Poor Bruce rides to town multiple times as the geese think of more and more ballet necessities. Bruce becomes increasingly bedraggled with each trip. Then, in an abrupt turn of events, the geese suddenly have a new idea. Higgins’ rich, textured illustrations are as appealing as ever. The winks and nods toward adults who deal with children’s fickleness every day are a bit lost in an independent reader format, but the ride is still a fun one to take. Silliness and frustration abound. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Graceful pirouettes can be found elsewhere; giggles take the stage here. (Early reader. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 5, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-368-05960-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022

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THERE'S A ROCK CONCERT IN MY BEDROOM

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.

Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.

Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: March 29, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin

Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022

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THE WONKY DONKEY

Hee haw.

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The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.

In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.

Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: May 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1

Page Count: 26

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018

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