Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3-5. Arthur is one of Brown's most popular characters, so it makes sense to start a series about the animal child's sister, D. W. Smaller in format than the Arthur books and gentler in color, this story describes an excited D. W.'s first visit to her gymnastics class. At first, D. W. is put off at being in the ``the baby class,'' but she discovers that she is not as adept at flipping and flopping as she thought she'd be: her forward rolls are definitely deficient. Determined to improve, D. W. practices at every opportunity, even in the grocery store, where she knocks over a display of grapefruits in the process. Practice makes perfect, however, and at her next class, her somersaults are A-OK. Then comes a surprise it's time to learn backward rolls! Listeners may find the ending a little abrupt, but they will surely like everything that comes before. The humor is revealed through the pictures, which are filled with acrobatic animal children determined to become future Olga Korbuts and feature expressive-faced D. W. as she persistently practices her flips. Sharp-eyed readers will see glimpses of Arthur as he observes his sister's progress. IC.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2 Readers of Brown's ``Arthur Adventure'' series (Joy Street Bks.) are in for a treat. D. W., Arthur's self-assured little sister, is the central character in a new series written for beginning readers. It's D. W.'s first day in gymnastics class, and she knows it all. For D. W., touching toes and skipping in circles is easy, but when she is called upon to do a forward roll, she can't. After a long week of practice, D. W. masters the forward rollonly to discover the new task at hand is the backward roll. Brown's humorous and detailed illustrations are done in watercolors outlined with pen and ink. In this title, however, the colors are not as vivid as in his other books. A simple text combined with expressive drawings make this charming book one that children will enjoy reading. Most future gymnasts will identify with D. W., as this book reinforces the saying ``practice makes perfect.'' Orvella Fields, Indianapolis-Marion County Pub . Lib . (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
During a family trip to the beach, D.W. overcomes her fear of water with older brother Arthur's help in 'All Wet'. In 'Flips!' D.W. confidently begins gymnastics lessons but finds that it takes a lot of practice and hard work to be perfect. Remarkably poor production quality of the illustrations lessens the appeal of these small board-book editions. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
