Kate Skates

May 1, 1996
PreS-Gr 1-When Kate receives new skates for her birthday, her younger sister inherits the old pair. Jen moves immediately (and without any practice) from "I do not know how to skate," to getting laced up faster than Kate, and moving onto the ice where she "does not need any help." Kate can't wait to skate, but immediately discovers that the new blades are more difficult to handle than her old ones, and she slips and wobbles. A week later, the girls return to the rink; when a big kid knocks into Jen, Kate goes to her rescue and is aided by a skating star, who agrees to give Kate lessons. Soft watercolors support a text that is so bland that few children will be inspired to keep turning the pages. The story is not credible-no one will believe that Jen can skate better than Kate. A second-rate beginning reader.-Sharron McElmeel, Cedar Rapids Community Schools, IA

January 1, 1996
Preschool^-Gr. 1. This appealing beginning reader gives a little nod to what it means to be a good big sister. When Kate gets new ice skates for her birthday, she gives her old double-blade ones to her unenthusiastic little sister, Jen, and offers to teach her how to skate. Jen catches on right away, but Kate discovers that falling down is the only thing she does well with her new equipment. The type is large; the sentences short, with no more than a few words in each line on a page; and the double-page-spread watercolors are as delectable and sweet as the simple story. ((Reviewed January 1 & 15, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)