Karen J Young

This was a fun read-aloud with my elementary school-age child. The text and illustrations are enjoyable and make the story easy to follow. The story follows Riley who talks about how her magical ponytails help her to achieve whatever she wants to put her mind to -- painting a kaleidoscopic sunset, hitting a homerun, sail a ship, or my favorite putting out a campfire. The text is simple enough for a budding reader to read on their own and the illustrations support the text well. There is calming magic in the illustrations that bring the words to life.

The paperback version is sturdy and will hold up for many readings under normal use. I appreciate when reviewer copies come fully bound since reading is a tactile experience for children.

Overall a very enjoyable book to share with young readers.… (plus d'informations)

I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program. I like the bright, cheerful illustrations by Yoko Matsuoka. Riley has a lot of fun with her ponytails, but the book read like a list more than a story. Each page showed something different she can do with her ponytails, such as fly like a bird and play baseball, which gave the illustrator lots of room to create, but left the story feeling very flat.

I'll add it to my elementary library collection and I'm sure there are a few little girls who will love it. :)… (plus d'informations)