Karate Girl - Hardcover

Leary, Mary

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374339775 ISBN 13: 9780374339777

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2003

Synopsis

Grrrrrlpower!

After a bullying incident at school, Mary Leary’s young heroine joins a karate class. But karate, she learns, is not simply a method of self-defense. It also helps develop confidence and concentration. "To be sure enough of oneself to avoid a fight – that is what karate is about," her teacher, the sensei, tells her. So begins a firsthand look at what being a karate student is really like, from the special uniform and classroom to the rigorous exercises and practice sessions. Becoming a karate girl takes dedication and hard work.

With pictures and text brimming with sass and spunky style, Mary Leary charts the course of a girl getting ready to face new challenges – at the dojo and on the sidewalk after school.

About this title

About the Author:

Mary Leary recently graduated with an M.F.A. from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Karate Girl is her first book. She lives in Highland, New York.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 2-A young karate student begins her class thinking that she can get back at the bullies who bother her younger brother. However, after taking the sensei's lessons to heart, Mary discovers that the martial art is about more than mastering self-defense; it helps individuals develop the inner confidence to "avoid a fight." The author includes vocabulary that will be familiar to students of karate as they pass from a white belt as a beginner through the various color levels. Mary's fellow students are a diverse group of boys and girls. The bright artwork illustrates one of the first katas, a combination of blocking and kicking stances. Double-page spreads alternate with pictures that show movement and action against red and orange dragon motifs. Even though this plot is message driven, there is a dearth of picture books featuring a young girl in martial arts. Couple this one with Brian Pinkney's JoJo's Flying Side Kick (S & S, 1995) for a unique sports-themed storytime.
Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0374339775
• ISBN 13: 9780374339777
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Leary Mary