From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2–Like the protagonist in Judith Viorst's classic
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Atheneum, 1972), "Lila Bloom was having a miserable day." Her discontent grows over the course of the afternoon until it's time for ballet. Lila's aunt and her instructor both feign indifference to her cranky threats of quitting the class and, just to show them she'll be missed when she's gone, Lila dances her best. Miraculously, she finds that her spirits are lifted. The adults have allowed her to grapple with a problem on her own, and Lila becomes the proud and exclusive owner of her victory over a mood. Stadler's caricature-style illustrations–wide line drawings in ink with gouache–call to mind the work of Jules Feiffer and William Steig. The art successfully captures the static nature of despair and the joy of free motion as well as the characters' attitudes and expressions with a minimum of strokes and a maximum of empathy. Lila is an interesting character to step inside; she is as familiar as an image in the mirror. This bookhas the simple charm of Stadler's "Beverly Billingsly" books (Harcourt), with an added touch of sophistication. A short list of ballet terms allows readers to say, "Her développés were underdeveloped" with authority.
–Liza Graybill, Worcester Public Library, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
K-Gr. 2. From her breakfast waffle with only one strawberry to her report card with the comment "Try Harder," Lila's day goes from bad to worse. She storms out of school and into her dance class, announcing her intention of quitting ballet. Madame Vera's cool reception to the news further infuriates Lila. She channels her rage into proving that she is "the second-best dancer in the class," only to feel the anger slip away as she leaps and turns to perfection. The emotional lows and highs of Lila's day will resonate with children, even those who don't know a
plie from a
barre. Stadler's story is well structured and has some nice turns of phrase, but even better are the illustrations--craggy ink drawings tinted with watercolor washes. The characters (some resembling Bratz dolls) are clearly outlined against the white backgrounds, their every gesture expressing both personality and attitude. An eminently satisfying story that could provoke discussion. Pronunciation guidance for French terms is appended.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
