Ready for the Spotlight!
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
An exuberant and relatable picture book about sibling rivalry, ballet, and finding your free-form self. Confidence goes a long way, and so does practice—but the support of a loving family and community matters even more in this winsome tale of dancing your way into your own unique talents. Tessie has taken ballet for a whole month and thinks she has it down. If it weren’t for her big sister, Maya, who seems to own the spotlight, Tessie would dazzle the whole class. But when Maya lands the lead—and the coveted princess crown—in the fall recital, not even freestyle dancing can fully rescue Tessie’s spirits. But maybe they each have something to teach and the spotlight is big enough for two? Jaime Kim’s author-illustrator debut captures the shifting emotions of competition, sisterhood, and joy in movement with warmth, charm, and a delicious candy-bright palette.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tessie, the spirited, cued–East Asian protagonist of this solo debut by Kim, has "been taking ballet for a whole month now," and, with the confidence and naivete of youth, believes she's the best in class—that is, except for older sister Maya, the crown-clad Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, who "is always in the spotlight." Maya has been taking ballet for much longer, and Mom assures the younger child that, with as much experience, she'll shine just as bright. Still, Tessie wants to be the best now, and her jealousy only grows after auditions for the fall recital. Tessie's voice shines with guileless determination: "Today was just not my day. My shoes were slippery. And my tutu felt so heavy. I'm sure that's why I couldn't keep my balance." Bright watercolor and digital art centers mercurial Tessie's reactions to great effect, adding wonderfully wrought physical humor to this refreshing tale of perseverance, growth, and tender sibling bonds. Ages 4–8.
