BALLET BRUCE

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.