The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Hobai, Ioana

Lena's Slippers

32 pp. | Page Street | June, 2019 | Trade ISBN 978-1-62414-695-4 $17.99

(2) K-3 Young dancer Lena is worried about whether she'll be able to meet her recital's requirement of white ballet slippers: "At home, money was tight..." Happily, the night before the recital, Lena finds an ingenious solution. An understated text focuses on Lena's joy in dance and the anxiety of her predicament. Unfussy ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations use a variety of perspectives to further communicate Lena's emotions.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019