April 2020 - Page 14 of 14

Balletball
by Erin Dionne (Author) and Gillian Flint (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Nini hates baseball. She hates that baseball is not ballet. She especially hates that Mom signed her up to play, but now she’s stuck with the sport. Nini just can’t bring herself to try. Her team starts to lose, but not even her teammates’ disappointment will change her feelings. A pep talk from her coach and sparkly shoelaces help–a little. When Nini makes a game-winning catch using her ballet moves, she realizes that change might not be so bad after all, and ballet and baseball have more in common than she thought.

Snippet: “I want my tutu! And my sparkles!” she wailed to her mother. “I want to leap and twirl and plié.”

Letters from Bear
by Gauthier David (Author) and Marie Caudry (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Bear can’t imagine a whole winter without her friend, so when Bird migrates south, Bear decides to follow. She’s never left the forest before, but that won’t stop her from crossing oceans and mountains–and sending letters along the way. But a surprise is waiting for Bear on the beach . . .

Three days before the birth of their child Arto, Marie began a series of paintings about globe-trotting bears–and these paintings inspired Gauthier to write this story!

Snippet:

Hello Bird,

I’m the first one up.
I found a carpet of strawberries and vines
close to the hole where I dozed off.
I’m going to make breakfast for all the guests who are still asleep.
I wish I could share all of these experiences with you.

I miss you.

Yours,
Bear