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9781484713785

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A pink cat and a polka-dot horse join together in a light story of secrets and friendship. Ballet Cat and Sparkles the horse want to find something to do. At each page turn, Sparkles comes up with an idea that is quickly shot down by Ballet Cat, a dance-obsessed Debbie Downer, for whom ballet is all. Crafts? They can't leap with scissors. Checkers? Their kicks would knock over the board. Sell lemonade? It would splash when they spun. When Sparkles suggests they might do something other than spin, Ballet Cat shoots that down, and Sparkles realizes they are going to play ballet. Again. With half-closed eyes and a resigned attitude, Sparkles plays ballet with reluctance. He 'fesses up his painful secret, Sometimes I don't want to play ballet. With speech bubbles, deft cartoon strokes, and emotional close-ups, Shea lets young readers easily decode both the illustrations and the text. Though the mood is light, the reality-one friend calling all the shots-is not. Using easy words to set up a common situation, Shea dips his toes into the early-reader pool. The marriage of amusing story and expressive illustrations makes this one that new readers will enjoy over and over. Here's hoping that Ballet Cat and Sparkles return soon to help new readers learn about friendship. This series will not be a secret for long. (Early reader. 4-8) Kirkus

Tapping into the same barely restrained exuberance and visual energy that characterizes much of his previous work, Shea introduces Ballet Cat, a pearls-and-tutu-wearing feline who loves to dance as much as the author's Dinosaur and Cheetah characters love winning. The problem? Ballet Cat's best friend, Sparkles the Pony, may be getting a tad tired of playing ballet every day. Like Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie, these two are a contemporary comic duo with staying power; Shea mines Ballet Cat's dialed-up enthusiasm and Sparkles's hangdog expressions for everything they are worth. Boldly contrasting backgrounds heighten the strong emotions at play and, luckily, after Sparkles reveals his secret secret about dancing ( Is the secret that you are not so great at ballet? Ballet Cat asks concernedly. That is not a very secret secret, Sparkles ), this friendship is undiminished. Ages 6 8 PW

PRAISE FOR DINOSAUR VS. SANTA Energetic, retro mixed-media illustrations depict Dinosaur in a series of fabulous Christmas sweaters, smothering the bottom third of the tree in ornaments and lights, and roaring his way through the best Christmas ever. A must for most collections. School Library Journal

Author Information

Bob Shea (www.bobshea.com) is the author-illustrator of the Dinosaur vs. series and several other picture books, including Buddy and the Bunnies in: Don't Play With Your Food! and Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great. He and his wife, Colleen, run their own graphic design company called Perfectly Nice. Their son Ryan inspired the character Dinosaur. When Bob isn't out on the road promoting his books, he lives and works in Madison, Connecticut.

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