Sarah Weeks

Adversity

I really like this for story time because it's told mostly by asking questions that all have the same answer: Ella, of course. This is a story about having a comfort object. For more kids, it's a blanket or stuffed animal, but Ella is attached to an umbrella. This presents a number of problems, most of all that Ella has a dance recital and she's got to find a creative way to take her umbrella onstage with her. It's got a great ending.

This book bills itself as a "rockin' rhyme about compromise," which is pretty accurate. A band of girls disturbs a quiet group of boys and they have themselves a conflict. Their solution is not original, but it's pretty fun to read.

I was not impressed by the artwork, and I thought it was pretty weird to have a catfish (the titular Kate) playing in a band on dry land. It's funny, though, that a member of the band "spins" on a gramophone.