Splashdance: A Picture Book

by Liz Starin

Picture Book Winner of the 2016 Social Justice Literature Award

Ursula, a bear, and Ricardo, a human, are preparing for the water ballet competition, where the prize is a million dollars! But a new regulation at the community pool-- no bears --leaves Ursula cut from the contest. Luckily, she encounters a group of undaunted animal swimmers at a local pond, and Ursula and her new team figure out a way to participate in the competition and make sure everyone is welcome at the pool once and for all. Filled with deadpan humor, adorable animals, and big themes about social justice and inclusion, Liz Starin's picture book Splashdance is a fun and splashy summer story with a lot of heart.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Sports, Childrens, Storytime, Humor, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2016

Reviews

[Sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I thought the message of this book was so heavy-handed, it might actually annoy kids when you read it to them. This book is all about the message--there's very little to it other than the message. Not sure I understand the reviewers who thought it "did not hit you over the head" with the message. I feel like my head has been firmly hit, thank you.

[pati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bears are just a hairy as all the other animals - why the No Bears rule? Just some silly bias. Fortunately the other animals show some gumption and bears are back in the pool! Someone please show this book to Mr. Trump!

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looked high and low for a good synchronized swimming picture book for last summer, and I think this was it - published too late for that.

Noting for the next time I need it.

[Cathy Mealey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One MILLION dollars! That is the prize awarded to the winners of the water ballet competition at the community pool. So Ricardo, a mustachioed, knobby-kneed gentleman and his water ballet partner Ursula, a well-groomed but furry polar bear practice their routine diligently. All at once, a new rule bans bears from the pool, and Ricardo summarily ditches Ursula for a new partner, a giraffe named Hortense.

Ursula is devastated at the betrayal and heartbroken to lose her chance in the competition. After all, she really loves water ballet! Eventually Ursula dons a striped bikini and she sneaks down to the community pond for a quick dip. Alone, she executes her best double back albatross and half twist chanterelle in the weedy green swimming hole.

Then one day Ursula arrives at the pond only to meet a large group of water ballet enthusiasts practicing their routine. They, too, were cast out of the pool due to their ursine members. This group - this TEAM - has stuck together and continued to practice. Ursula is inspired to join them, and she devises a plan to ensure that they can participate in the water ballet championship after all.

Starin’s text is smart, vibrant and playful. A balanced mixture of short and long sentences filled with cut-to-the-chase emotions keeps the storyline popping along. Young listeners will remain eager to turn the page and discover what happens next. Starin’s illustrations are spectacularly funny, inventive and ridiculous, adding implausible wacky details that appeal to the eye and the funnybone. Clever signs, wild bathing costumes, and a hilarious menagerie of swimming critters mix together to produce a divinely humorous tale.

Ursula finally gets to perform her impressive triple banana flip in the water ballet competition – but will it be enough to win the million dollars? Or is there an even bigger prize at stake? Splashdance!
is a lighthearted, inspiring winner from beginning to end.

[Damera Blincoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5
What is up with these children's picture books lately? This one was very weird and over the top. I guess that would work for some books, but not for this one. I gave it one and a half stars because I liked the teamwork involved in the book, but other than that, it fell flat.

[Cory · Rating 2 out of 5]

As weird as this is going to sound, there was too much armpit hair for me to truly enjoy this book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book that uses the phrase "tough noogies" is a star to me.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super strange story line. And I don’t get it at all my daughter randomly picked it up and I didn’t screen before. The drawings and the whole story was very strange.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

TED 8650 Children’s Literature
Literature Extension One- Opening Moves

Picture Book Three
Splashdance
By Liz Starin

In my read aloud of the book Splashdance by Liz Starin I would begin by saying to the class, “This book is called Splashdance. What do you notice on the cover? Are there any animals that look familiar from another book we’ve read?” After hopefully hearing the correct answer, I’d reply, “That’s right, there’s an alligator on the cover, just like the alligator we saw in Gwendolyn Grace. This opening move refers to Fountas and Pinells’ opening move- ask children to make connections to a previously read text.
Another thing I’d bring up during this read aloud would be to foreshadow the story’s problem.I’d say to the class, “Now this story is about a bear who runs into a dilemma while trying to compete in a contest. He’s not accepted, just because of who he is. Let’s see what kind of problem he has and what he does to overcome it. This opening move refers to Fountas and Pinells opening move, foreshadow the problem of the story.
I chose Splashdance for my text set since it’s a fiction book with animals as the main character. It’s also a great story that teaches how to overcome obstacles when you aren’t accepted. The story also talks about swimming and competitions, which many kids who compete in swimming and diving can identify with. The illustrations are fun and the characters are memorable.



Fountas and Pinnell, Engaging in readers in thinking and talking about texts through interactive read aloud, chapter 15, pg. 226

[Hannah Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Social Justice Literature Award winner Splashdance written and illustrated by Liz Starin is worthy of its award. Ursula is a polar bear, and her dreams are crushed when all bears are banned from the water ballet competition. After being replaced by her partner, Ursula is crushed until she meets a new team of swimmers who fight the system. Her new team swims at the end of the competition and the rest of the animals revoke the bear ban. The illustrations are made with watercolor, and they are vibrant and lively. The characters are outlined in thin black lines and they each have multiple shades of color. I thought that the ending of the book was inspirational, and the author did a great job showing that equality is more important than money. I was satisfied with how the author ended the book. I thought that the visual details were excellent, and they were able to evoke emotions from the reader. The combination of words and illustrations helped the reader feel connected to and root for the protagonist Ursula. Overall, I think that this is a great book that teaches the importance of equality by evoking emotions from the reader.

[Sushie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good stepping stone on the way to talking to kids about real life examples of segregation. If I used it for story time, it would likely be for an older group, because I think a conversation about the ending is important. Something like "The disloyal Ricardo and his scab-friend got a million dollars and the bears and their good friends only got readmitted to the pool they should have been allowed in in the first place. Is that fair?"

[Erin]

Bears are being discriminated against and are arbitrarily barred from pool use. Ursula is abandoned by her partner for a tall, thin, and not-hairy giraffe. Lonely and despondent, Ursula finds a team that embraces bears. They sneak into the water ballet competition, blow everyone away, and while they don't win the competition, they do win their rights back. Because apparently, equal treatment is only for bears that can showcase their water ballet talent?

I am... ambivalent about this one.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A polar bear wants to compete in a synchronized swimming competition, but the pool doesn't allow bears. I don't think I've ever read a book where the characters liked synchronized swimming before--I enjoyed this but wondered if some of the humor would go over kids' heads? I'll put it on displays regardless for summer!

[Shannon Kerwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moral is good, story isn't bad, not a fan of the illustrations

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great message and wonderful resolution. I love this one. It's a great way to talk about exclusion and how it can make someone feel to be excluded.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The importance of real friends.

[Whitney · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you want to lecture your kid for bedtime, this is the perfect book.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story with delightful illustrations. It just goes to show you that working as a team with perseverance, you can overcome obstacles. Silly, yet sweet.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute poolside storytime read. 2 year old liked it too

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read-aloud with a good lesson. Nice illustrations.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Summer Reading Day 81: Hi, everyone! Ms. J was having a tough time today with toothaches, but she was still excited to read her story, Splashdance by Liz Starin. In Splashdance, a polar bear named Ursula is practicing diligently for a water ballet with her partner, until one day she arrives to find that the pool has hung up a sign: “NO BEARS.” Her swimming partner subsequently abandons her for someone he can swim with, leaving Ursula feeling alone and abandoned, disheartened by being banned from doing what she loves. Eventually, Ursula finds that she is not alone in being banned, and she and her fellow outsiders concoct a plan to live their dream of competing in the water ballet event.

This book dealt pretty heavily with the concepts of segregation and discrimination, and it did so very well. Certain plot points relating to Ursula being banned from the pool will certainly resonate with adults, such as when the pool manager insists that he will no longer allow bears because they are too hairy while letting other, hairier animals continue to swim there. Ursula’s plight is dealt with in a way that feels realistic and organic to adults, but is simple enough conceptually for kids to understand and identify with. Furthermore, her eventual triumph with her friends shows that while you may not always be able to change the minds of hateful people, good people will always have your back.

Otherwise, the length of the book was fine for Baby Bookworm, and the illustrations were cute and simple. But to us, it was the story that really shone, particularly after the incidences of racial and gender discrimination at the 2016 Rio Olympics. And ultimately, the message is a great one for all little (and big) readers: people may try to hold you back, but never let them destroy what you love to do; just do your best and you will always win.

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Water ballet requires excellent coordination and strong lungs, and necessitates much practice. For some reason, the pool where Ursula, a bear, practices with Richard, her human teammate, decides that the area will be off limits to bears. To add insult to injury, Richard shows up for practice with a different partner, living Ursula bereft. What's a bear to do? After practicing alone at a nearby pond, she happens to see several other animals practicing there, and joins them. When the day of the competition arrives, the new team still can't compete because there are bears on the team. But something unexpected happens after they hijack the pool and perform anyway. While the judges honor one team, the rest of the audience knows who the real winners are, and the pool is now opened to everyone. Young readers will enjoy this somewhat silly story with a great message of acceptance, teamwork, and allowing everyone to be themselves. I liked the softly-colored illustrations as well as Ursula's attitude and persistence and found it disappointing that Richard was so quick to toss his partner aside in order to win first prize.

[Meghan Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This joyful story is told through language and illustrations that are at once playful and powerful. At times the plot is advanced seamlessly and engagingly through illustration alone, and readers will love noting all the quirky details that round out the setting and characters, like titles on a bookshelf, swimming paraphernalia, and the hilarious names of water ballet maneuvers. Children will route for the underdog team of animal water ballerinas restricted from the municipal pool on account of "No Bears Allowed!" and eagerly engage in discussion about topics ranging from frustration and fairness to segregation and inclusivity.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about discrimination but it doesn't hit you over the head with it. It's pretty subversive in the way it presents civil disobedience as a concept and that it illustrates that those in charge don't always get to decide the winners. As I've written this review, I've decided my three star rating needs to be four stars.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, fun characters. There's Ursula, a polar bear whose water ballet partner Ricardo ditches her when the pool no longer allows bears. There's Ricardo's new partner Hortense, a giraffe. Plus Ralph, Hector, Lucy, Wilma and Bo.
Even though this is a story about inclusion, it would be a fun read aloud for Beach Day, the Summer Olympics, or summertime activities.

[Jennifer Mook-Sang · Rating 5 out of 5]

fabulous story about working hard at what you love, creativity, and the true meaning of being a team (which is worth much more than a million bucks). i felt briefly sorry for ricardo at the end :) hilarious and inspired illustrations!

[Eileen]

Cute book with a very nice message about tolerance.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My exact taste! I need to know more about Ricardo.

[Danica Midlil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine, except that I wanted karma to strike Ricardo in some fashion. Alas, sometimes the bad guys win.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great message without being preachy--loved it! Ricardo is a real jerk though.