turrean's review against another edition
3.0
Practicing a martial arts form leads to surprising results for a young enthusiast. Pair with Jumanji for a double dose of not-following-the-rules.
pwbalto's review against another edition
5.0
Give. Barbara. McClintock's. Books. A Larger. Trim size!
These paintings deserve to be blown up poster-size.
These paintings deserve to be blown up poster-size.
melaniegaum's review against another edition
5.0
The art was gorgeous, with bold lines and arrangements that reminded me of Asian art. The story was cute, and the little girl even cleaned up the mess!
jmshirtz's review against another edition
5.0
What a fun book! The idea is fantastic, the illustrations take on a life of their own (literally), and it's executed perfectly. Honestly, the worst thing about this book is that cover! It's a horrible representation of the actual book; that yellow makes the whole thing look dated. So don't judge this book by its cover and check it out!
tashrow's review
4.0
When a girl discovers a book of martial arts forms, she ignores the warming in the book that says that “unexpected results” can happen if anyone other than a master attempts them. When the girl tries the crane form, a large crane appears in her room. The crane is quite problematic and destructive, so she quickly moves on to leopard form. As the two animals fight, she adds another and another with a snake and dragon joining the battle. Finally, she reaches the last form to turn things back to normal. She tidies up the mess of the house just before her mother comes in with tickets to the zoo. Perhaps it’s time for someone else to read that book! McClintock’s text is very simple here, with much of the action of the book happening in the images. The book moves from straight picture book to comic frames and back again with alacrity and in a way that flows naturally from form to form. The illustrations are filled with huge animals, messes and activity. This is a fun look at martial arts with a dash of magic. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
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