Review: Baby Flo by Alan Schroeder

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Straight up:

Florence was a remarkable child,

and that's a fact.

Pint-sized dynamo "Baby Florence" Mills was singing and dancing just about as soon as she could talk and walk. She warbled a tune while her mama did laundry. Everywhere Flo went, she strutted through the streets of Washington, D.C. with a high-steppin' cakewalk. Flo's mama and daddy knew they had a budding entertainer in the family, so they entered Florence in a talent contest.

Baby Flo went on to become an international superstar during the Harlem Renaissance-but first she had to overcome a case of stage fright and discover that winning wasn't everything. Here is the spirited story of that spunky young girl learning to chase her dreams with confidence. A sensation in her time, Baby Flo is back, dancing and singing her way into hearts and history.

MY TAKE:

I like reading biographies and children's books, so I was excited to read this book.

Baby Flo is the story of Florence Mills, a famous singer and dancer from the early 1900s, and her humble beginnings.

Most of the children's books I review are really quick reads made up of a couple or so sentences per page, so I was surprised to find that the text was so long. This book is meant for the older kids or for parents to read to their younger kids.

The story is easy enough to follow. It's very entertaining and Flo is very endearing. The illustrations are also very pretty and old time-y.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lee and Low Books for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. Beautiful, whimsical coloring.
2. Great storytelling.
3. You can read Florence Mills story at the latter part of the book.

THE BAD:

1. Younger kids might have a hard time reading this.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

"You're pretty good," John remarked. "You must have got that from my side of the family."

"In your dreams!" said Nellie. "She got it from me, that's who. Fool!"

READ IT IF:

1. You have a child that loves to sing and/or dance.
2. You want to introduce your kids to longer books.
3. You like pretty children's books.

RATING:

SOUNDS INTERESTING?