Andy & Sandy and the Big Talent Show

April 1, 2017
A case of stage fright nearly thwarts Andy and Sandy's act in this latest installment of dePaola and Lewis' early-reader series.When friends Sandy, a tall, ginger-haired white girl, and Andy, a short boy of color with light-brown skin and dark hair, find out about an upcoming talent show, Sandy is very excited to participate. Andy, on the other hand, is less than enthusiastic. While Sandy revels in the possibilities of juggling, tumbling, and hula-hooping, Andy has no talent for such acts. Sandy, ever the encouraging friend, offers to teach him to dance, and he tries to keep up with her. But when the big day arrives, it's Sandy who freezes on stage and Andy who dances his heart out. Sandy eventually joins him as he gently jostles her about in a series of wordless spreads, resulting in a first-prize win for the pair at the show. Throughout, controlled text with just the right amount of repetition will bolster emergent readers' access and comfort with decoding, and dePaola's recognizable style will do the same in pictures that reinforce and expand the verbal story's content. Bravo! (Early reader. 5-7)

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March 1, 2017

K-Gr 2-The fourth installment of the series shows a more tender side of friendship. Sandy is encouraging Andy to join her in the talent show, but Andy is uncertain as to what kind of talent he has to offer. Sandy seems to be able to do it all; she can juggle, tumble, and hula hoop, but Andy can't do any of those things. Sandy comes up with the idea that they dance. She tells Andy to "follow me," and the next few pages show Andy trying to do just that, with Sandy taking the lead. On the day of the talent show, Sandy gets stage fright, but Andy saves the day by making it seem like part of a comedic act, telling Sandy to "follow me." The subsequent wordless sequential panels bring readers into the humor of the moment, emphasizing that this is a story of two supportive friends who have each other's backs. DePaola's classic acrylic and colored pencil illustrations with rich colors and spare lines have plenty of action and facial expressions, giving necessary textual clues to emerging readers. VERDICT This title should have a welcome home in most beginning reader collections.-Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR

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March 15, 2017
Preschool-G The latest Andy & Sandy entry finds Sandy eager to enter the school talent show. Andy's less convinced; he can't juggle, tumble, Hula-Hoop, or dance. You just have to practice, Sandy insists, and so they do. But at the performance, Sandy develops severe stage fright, leaving poor Andy to sashay through their dance number almost solo, until he is finally able to persuade Sandy to follow his lead. The story reinforces the idea that different qualities (Sandy is confident, while Andy is more reserved) are often necessary for success in friendship and in life. Simple, predictable text combines with dePaola's sunny, upbeat art to create an early reader that should have wide appeal. The wordless spreads of the dance itself are priceless, and would-be thespians will enjoy the informative endpapers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)