Review by Booklist Review
After Mrs. Pascu announces that everyone will be daffodils for this year's ballet performance, all students are required to purchase a specific shade of yellow fabric and white ballet slippers. Lena finds that neither are easily obtainable at local shops, where people stand in line for hours for a limited array of goods. Lena's mother finds a different type of yellow fabric and sews her a skirt with it, and although Mrs. Pascu disapproves, she's more adamant about the white slippers. Fortunately, Lena is gifted brown second-hand slippers and finds a crafty way to turn them white. She finally completes her outfit and performs gleefully with her classmates. Using soft-toned illustrations, Hobai depicts Lena's life in a place that requires resourcefulness and creativity. Though she doesn't explicitly name the location, Hobai's author's note explains that the story is inspired by her childhood in Romania. Children from families who struggle financially might appreciate this gently empowering story. Pair with Victoria M. Sanchez's Pilar's Worries (2019) and Kobi Yamada's What Do You Do with a Problem? (2016).--Vivian Alvarez Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--Lena is excited for the annual school dance recital. Mrs. Pascu announces to the class that they must have yellow skirts or shorts and white shirts and ballet slippers, as this year the students will perform as daffodils. Lena is worried because she knows money is tight and, in her town, even the barest necessities are in short supply. She was hopeful that last year's shirt and slippers would fit, but unfortunately, she has grown too big and she needs new slippers. Lena and her mother search the stores for yellow fabric. What they find is not the right yellow, but it will have to do. Unfortunately, they are not as lucky with the slippers. The last pair was purchased by Lena's friend, Marcella. What will Lena do now? Mrs. Pascu will surely not be happy with the off-colored yellow skirt and socks for slippers. The author's note at the end explains that this story was inspired by an event that took place during the author's childhood in Romania. VERDICT Young readers will be engaged with the pastel-colored illustrations as they root for Lena to find the right slippers for her dance recital.--Annette Herbert, F. E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY
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Review by Horn Book Review
Young dancer Lena cant wait for her upcoming recital, but her excitement is undercut with worry about whether she will be able to meet the recitals costume requirements, especially the white ballet slippers: At home, money was tight and the stores in town were half-empty. Her parents had to wait in line for hours to buy anything. Lena can make do with last years camisole and a homemade skirt, but theres no squeezing into last years shoes. Her parents reassure herYour dancing is what mattersbut Lena knows her strict teacher Mrs. Pascu will not allow her to dance in the brown hand-me-downs that are Lenas only option. Happily, the night before the recital, Lena finds an ingenious solution to her problem. Observant readers may spot the white paint Lenas dad has been using to paint their kitchen and have the same idea Lena does; either way, they will appreciate Lenas dazzling onstage leaps and gracious bowand the sight of a puzzled Mrs. Pascu sweeping flakes of white paint from the stage post-performance. An understated text focuses on Lenas joy in dance and the anxiety of her predicament. Unfussy ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations with delicate pastel-toned washes use a mix of vignettes, single pages, and double-page spreads and a variety of perspectives to further communicate Lenas emotions. In an authors note, Hobai explains that the story is semi-autobiographical, inspired by her childhood in the economically depressed Romania of the 1970s and 1980s. katie bircher July/Aug p.109(c) Copyright 2019. 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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Perseverance and determination help a little girl take part in her school's ballet performance.Lena, who has short, straight brown hair and wears a school uniform, is so very excited to be dancing in a student recital. She will join the others as a daffodil. Unfortunately, material for the costume is hard to find in her town, and Lena has outgrown last year's. There are lines at the stores for everything, including milk. Happily, she and her mother do find the almost right fabric, but all the white ballet slippers are sold out. Lena is upset, but with a little help from her unsuspecting father, who is a painter, she comes up with a perfect if not long-lasting solution. The performance wows the audience. Hobai, debuting as an author, grew up in Romania and has set her little story in an unnamed country with strict rules, often bare shelves, and a seemingly all-white citizenry. Her ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations deftly convey Lena's many facial expressions, from worry to joy, and their fluid lines are the right touch to portray little dancers. Adults sharing this book with children may need to provide a little background information about Communist-era Eastern Europe, but many children today will understand the economic hardships faced regardless. Ballet lovers will feel a strong kinship with this aspiring ballerina. (author's note, photograph) (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
