Review by Booklist Review
Diana is not great at school. She's especially bad at math. She just can't seem to concentrate, which doesn't really bother her, but does seem to concern her teacher, her mother, her tutor, and her pediatrician. This outpouring of concern makes Diana feel bad, especially when she winds up in a psychologist's office. The psychologist wants a private word with Mother and leaves Diana alone to listen to gentle music on the radio. The more she listens, the more Diana needs to move, and soon she's gracefully gliding across the room. Aha! Diana is a dancer! Following the psychologist's advice, Diana is enrolled in dance school, and soon discovers that she can learn stuff especially when she's moving. This tribute to a kinetic learner will reassure kids facing the same issue, and the wonderful ink on silkscreen illustrations (Diana is short and round, with oversize horn-rimmed glasses) add sweet humor. The gentle demolishing of stereotypes not everyone learns the same, not all ballerinas are tall and willowy is an added benefit.--Kathleen McBroom Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
First seen skateboarding into her classroom, Diana clearly has spunk, but she is bored at school and has a hard time concentrating. After a pediatrician suggests a visit to a psychologist, Diana has a dramatic breakthrough, spontaneously dancing to music playing on the radio and prompting a fittingly theatrical diagnosis: "Madam, your daughter is not sick! Your daughter is a dancer!" At the psychologist's recommendation, Diana's mother enrolls her in dance school, where she blissfully joins other children in a buoyant, free-form class. Diana transforms immediately, discovering that "it was easier for her to think if she was moving" and practicing dance moves while memorizing multiplication tables. She even begins "to have a good time at school." Some may take issue with the tidy resolution of a child's struggle to stay focused, but spare yet spirited matte illustrations by Lozano (Miles of Smiles) create a winning aesthetic, with a subdued palette punctuated by splashes of bright color. Images of the plucky heroine, sporting oversize eyeglasses and displaying an array of facial expressions and stances, bolster the book's humor-as do the antics of her tutu-clad canine sidekick. Ages 3-6. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young girl finds her inner beauty in music and dance.Diana is white, short, and chunky, and she wears glasses. She is not a good student at school, unable to concentrate, especially in math. It is in a psychologist's office that her life turns around. When the doctor steps out to talk to her mother, he leaves the radio on, and Diana is literally swept off her feet as "her body moved gracefully, following the rhythm of the music." The next logical and prescribed step is ballet school, and now Diana smiles, does well in math, and imagines herself performing on stage"maybe." Lozano's little tale, originally published in Spain, is a lesson for children in both self-worth and not allowing body types to restrict development. And while, realistically, a child looking like Diana would most likely have a difficult time succeeding in ballet, the author graciously allows for participation at a student's level and the opportunity to dream. His loose, fine-lined figures with cartoon-style faces are set against a white background. They depict one schoolmate in a wheelchair and several diverse children. The ballerinas she dreams of dancing with are tall and lithe; one is a person of color.Dreams may or may not come true, but the opportunity to have them is wonderful. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
