Brontorina - Hardcover

Howe, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763644374 ISBN 13: 9780763644376

Publisher: Candlewick, 2010

Synopsis

From the sure-footed duo of James Howe and Randy Cecil comes a hugely endearing new character — in a humorous, heart-warming tale about holding on to your dreams.

Brontorina has a dream. She wants to dance. But Brontorina is rather large — too large to fit in Madame Lucille’s dance studio. Brontorina does not have the right shoes, and everyone knows you can’t dance without the proper footwear. Still, Brontorina knows, deep in her heart, that she is meant to be a ballerina. James Howe introduces a lovable dinosaur whose size is outmatched only by her determination, and whose talent is outmatched only by her charm. Accompanied by Randy Cecil’s beguiling illustrations, here is an irresistible story that proves that no problem is too big when the heart and imagination know no bounds.

About this title

About the Author

James Howe is the acclaimed author of more than eighty books for young readers, including the E. B. White Read Aloud Award-winning Houndsley and Catina and its sequels, as well as the much-lauded series about Bunnicula. James Howe lives in New York State.

Randy Cecil has illustrated many books for children, including Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root, And Here’s to You!by David Elliot, We’ve All Got Bellybuttons! by David Martin, and My Father the Dog by Elizabeth Bluemle. He is also the author-illustrator of Gator and Duck. Randy Cecil lives in Houston.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2 Howe weaves a well-spun tale about acceptance and pursuing one's dream. When Brontorina Apatosaurus appears at the door of Madame Lucille's Dance Academy for Boys and Girls, she faces what could be sure rejection. Young Clara and Jack tug at Madame to accept her, while naysayers jeer at her lack of proper shoes. Finally, Madame admits Brontorina, and humorous scenes show little boys and girls doing arabesques, relev&eacutes, and jet&eacutes, while enormous Brontorina gracefully crashes into the ceiling. Madame concludes that the new pupil is just too big. Brontorina turns to leave, a dinosaur-size tear falling from her eye. Then the teacher has a realization: The problem is not that you are too big. The problem is that my studio is too small, and the academy gets relocated and renamed. A quiet fusion of pathos, comedy, and passion is echoed in the painterly, softly textured, muted oil illustrations. The final picture of the orange dinosaur perched like a bird atop a dancing triceratops, silhouetted against the setting sun, is priceless. Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City
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*Starred Review* Initially turned away from Madame Lucille's Dance Academy for Boys and Girls because she is an enormous dinosaur, Brontorina counters, “But in my heart I am a ballerina.” Moved by Brontorina's dream, Madame Lucille welcomes her to the class with a request that she not “squash the other dancers.” Soon her relevés and jetés leave dents and grooves in the ceiling, but if she suffers for her art, she never complains. When Brontorina's size limits her horizons, Madame Lucille changes her own assumptions (as well as her studio). Her broad-minded approach opens up a range of new possibilities. Text and illustrations work beautifully together in this witty fantasy. Though in lesser hands the plot might have seemed tired, here speech balloons alternate with narration to tell the story in a fresh, droll manner. In Cecil's arresting oil paintings, the tawny orange dinosaur stands out boldly against slate blue or white backgrounds, and the unusual texture of the paint creates a distinctive effect. Brontorina makes a hugely sympathetic heroine as pictured here, and the stylized figures of her teacher and classmates are no less appealing. With an amusing text and pictures that show up well from a distance, this hopeful picture book is great for reading aloud. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0763644374
• ISBN 13: 9780763644376
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Cecil Randy
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32