Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-8. Though tall and lanky for a ballerina, Sassy loves to dance and dreams of performing on stage. She is hurt when a classmate refers to her as "tyrannosaurus," but heartened by her Uncle Redd's belief that she's so tall and pretty, "All you gotta do to make your mark on the world is walk into a room." At an audition for a summer dance festival, a Russian ballet master echoes the same sentiment, choosing Sassy for the festival. The closing pages show her onstage, in the spotlight, partnered by an even taller young man. One of the few ballet books featuring an African American protagonist, this story echoes the dreams and fears of many young dancers. The artwork, using oil paints over pencil drawings, is sometimes exaggerated in expression or gesture, but clearly shows the characters' attitudes and emotions. Both text and illustrations portray family relationships deftly and with touches of humor. A lively picture book for aspiring dancers. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
PW called this tale of a hopeful young ballet dancer who complains of her too-big feet and too-long legs "inspirational," adding that "Nelson depicts the heroine with a grace that belies her self-image." Ages 4-8. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-This charming picture book focuses on the world of ballet classes, and children's cruelty toward those who are different. Sassy loves to dance but she is tall, gangly, and has really big feet. Her desire to perform is her strongest asset. When she soars through the air in a giant leap, she feels like she can do anything. Sassy does indeed live up to her name. This African-American child is fresh, she is innovative-she wears a bright yellow leotard to stand out in the crowd-and she is determined. The story is sure to build self-esteem in those readers who can empathize with Sassy and they'll cheer when she takes center stage in a dance festival in the nation's capital. Nelson's artwork conveys Sassy's spirit and captures well the expressions of her smug, mocking classmates. A great read-aloud.-Kay Bowes, Concord Pike Library, Wilmington, DE (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
Taller than everyone else in her class, Sassy has big feet and sometimes a big mouth. All that does not stop her from wanting to be a ballet dancer, and her persistence is rewarded when she is chosen for a special summer dance program. Allen's dialogue is realistic, and Nelson's illustrations of the predominantly African-American cast ably capture Sassy's love of dance and her lively personality. From HORN BOOK Spring 2001, (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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Dancer-choreographer Allen (of Fame fame) joins forces again with Nelson ( Big Jabe , p. 565) in their second dance-themed picture book, following Brothers of the Knight (1999). Sassy is a tall African-American girl of middle-school age, a serious ballet student with extra-long legs, extra-big feet, and an extra-sassy manner of speaking that earned her the unusual nickname. She bickers with her brother, trading mean-spirited insults about his big head and her big feet, and snaps out sassy retorts to snide comments from her teacher and the more petite dancers in her ballet classes. Because of her height, Sassy is not allowed to participate in her schools dance recitalsa most unlikely situation at any ballet school in the US. Despite this lack of performing experience (and despite wearing a non-regulation, sunshine-yellow leotard to the audition with a strict Russian ballet master), Sassy wins a competition to attend a summer dance program in Washington, D.C. She finally finds her way into the spotlight there, dancing with a boy who is taller than even she is. Some of Nelsons illustrations would have benefited from tighter art direction: the height of the Russian ballet master seems variable from page to page and the dance shoes and positions of the feet are sometimes not quite correct. Despite these minor flaws, Sassy is an appealing girl with attitude who learns to accept her less-than-perfect physical features and make the best of her talents. Little girls who long for pretty tutus and pointe shoes of their own will like this sassy lassie. (Picture book. 5-8)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
