Author Kristy Dempsey has written a delightful book that is getting some attention. SURFER CHICK - illustrated by Henry Cole, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers - has received starred reviews from both Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal - and People magazine calls it “rollicking, righteous fun.”

The publisher description is enticing: "Filled with cool surf lingo, this sweet rhyming picture book is perfect for summer at the beach and for celebrating the love between a father and a daughter." Kirkus praises Dempsey for keeping "her groovy, rhyming text tight to create a raplike beat that colorfully describes a young chick’s adventures tackling the waves" and calls the picture book "a guaranteed ‘Cowabunga!’”

From School Library Journal: "This is a sweet, spunky story about perseverance and gaining confidence. Acrylic paint and colored pencil with a hot press watercolor make the sunsets dynamic and bright. Totally awesome!"

Visit Kristy Dempsey on her website: http://www.kristydempsey.com/

Henry Cole's website: http://www.henrycole.net/main.php?link=home

   
   Another fun picture book that reviewers are taking notice of is from the talented and lovely Anne Marie Pace: VAMPIRINA BALLERINA. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly notes that illustrator LeUyen "Pham (All the Things I Love About You) and [author] Pace are entirely in sync in this sweetly goth 'how to' for vampirettes under the spell of something more powerful than anything the dark forces can muster: ballet."

School Library Journal describes Vampirina Ballerina as a "story of perseverance and determination" and notes it "will appeal to young dancers, who will identify with Vampirina's struggles and cheer her on as she ultimately takes her triumphant bow on the flower-strewn stage."

Visit author Anne Marie Pace here and illustrator LeUyen Pham here.

Vampirina is published by Disney-Hyperion.