Review of BABYMOUSE: SKATER GIRL

Bibliography:

Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. 2007. Babymouse: Skater girl. New York: Random House. ISBN 97880375839894

Review:

Tired of always getting “honorable mentions” in contests, Babymouse decides she wants to win a trophy. When Coach Bearnakova notices her ice skating talent and offers to train her, Babymouse believes this is her chance to succeed. She is excited at her first practice session, but soon discovers that training to become a champion skater is a lot of hard work. Not only does it involve getting up at 4:30 in the morning to practice before school, but it also means that Babymouse must give up her favorite food, cupcakes, and hanging out with her friends. In the end, Babymouse decides, “Winning isn’t everything. . . What about friends and books and cupcakes and . . .”. In Babymouse: Skater Girl, brother and sister team, Jennifer and Matthew Holm have created another delightful graphic novel about sassy, imaginative, and funny Babymouse which is sure to entertain young children, even those who don’t enjoy reading. The fast moving dialogue and bold black and pink graphics capture readers’ attention and will have them laughing at Babymouse’s adventures, both real and imagined. The authors alternate between Babymouse’s frequent daydreams of skating in semifinal competition, being a snowmouse, and discovering a buried treasure and the reality of her life, which isn’t always glamorous – “Do Olympic skaters get detention?” The authors’ accurate and humorous depiction of many aspects of an elementary school student’s life allows children to relate to the central character despite the fact that she and all the other characters are animals. After all, who hasn’t met Felicia, “the meanest girl in the world”; Ginger, the competitive athlete who will do anything to win; or Babymouse, the daydreamer who just wants to enjoy being with her friends (and eating cupcakes)? In the tradition of comic books, Babymouse: Skater Girl is revealed as much through its illustrations, which capture the action and emotion of the characters, as through the dialogue. Not all the graphics follow the typical split frames presentation; full-page images and smaller ones placed outside of frames are included. This alternating presentation style keeps the story flowing swiftly to its conclusion. Readers who have fallen in love with Babymouse don’t have to fret when they’ve finished this story. The authors have cleverly included a preview of Babymouse’s next adventure, Babymouse: Puppy Love to whet their reading appetite.