Kicks in the Sky

A “cluster of kicks” draped over telephone wires mysteriously offer up talents across interests in Esperanza’s bustling metropolitan escapade. After kids on the ground marvel at the bright-hued sneaks (“Red kicks, green kicks, yellow kicks, blue./ How’d they get up there? Only birds knew”), a motorbike parade rumbles the shoes earthward, where the children untangle knotted laces before slipping the kicks on. Though young Danny doesn’t know how to dance, the shoes send his feet moving “to beats, in a magical trance.” Kris soars through the air during a game of basketball, meanwhile, and Lili expertly skateboards, knowing “every trick.” Alongside electric-hued illustrations of the children’s largely brown-skinned community, neighborhood sounds (“VROOM VROOM... FLAP FLIP!”) and thumping text offer musical accompaniment. Neighborhood speculation doesn’t solve questions about the shoes’ provenance, leaving a lingering sense of enchantment behind at the end of this unique adventure told in tuneful, rhythmic rhyme. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)