JoJo's Flying Side Kick

I really like this.

Jojo is about to test for her yellow belt. She's also (coincidentally - the two aren't connected at all until the end) afraid of the tree in her yard.

She's nervous about her test, and so three different members of her family give her advice. But it doesn't all click until the day of her test, when she puts all their advice together in her own way, in a way that not only earns her her yellow belt but also helps her stop being scared of the scary tree bandit.

The moral is nicely understated instead of being pushed like people do tend to do with kids.

Also, let me take a minute to say how much I enjoyed the illustrations in this book. I felt they really suited the material.

Definitely check this one out.

It was a day when Max didn't feel like talking to anyone. He just sat on his front steps and watched the clouds gather in the sky. A strong breeze shook the tree in front of his house, and Max saw two heavy twigs fall to the ground. So begins this story of a young boy's introduction to the joys of making music. Max picks up the sticks and begins tapping out the rhythms of everything he sees and hears around him . . . the sound of pigeons startled into flight, of rain against the windows, of distant church bells and the rumble of a subway. And then, when a marching band rounds Max's corner, something wonderful happens. Brian Pinkney's rhythmic text and lively pictures are certain to get many a child's foot tapping, many a youngster drumming.

Everyone gives JoJo advice on how to perform in order to earn her yellow belt in tae kwon do class, but in the end she figures it out for herself.

GR: P
GL: 3.2
DRA: 38
Lexile: 700L

6 copies

Booklist Editor's Choice Books for Youth