Kimi the BALLerina

Married collaborators Watari and Wu craft a passionate story that fuses heritage with ballet and basketball. Though Kimi “couldn’t imagine loving anything more” than the dance form, her Papa cherishes the sport. After the school basketball team holds sign-ups, Papa surprises her (“If you give basketball a try, I’ll join you for one ballet class”) and counsels “patience and practice” as she navigates difficulties at practice. When he describes how her Ojiichan formed a basketball league as a response to encountering anti-Japanese sentiment in the sport after WWII, this context fuels Kimi’s determination to make her parents proud. Energetic, fluidly lined cartooning deftly depicts Kimi combining the two activities while capturing nuanced emotions in this heartfelt story of honoring family legacy. An author’s note concludes. Background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages up to 8. (May)