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Reality, of course, doesn't quite match up. She has to use clunky brown skates, since they come with the lessons and her mom doesn't want to invest in expensive white skates unless she sticks with skating. And then she gets on the ice for the first time and it's absolutely NOT what she imagined. "Wibble. Wobble... BOOM!" She lands on the ice. As Claire falls and falls, she starts to think that skating isn't for her after all, especially when some of the boys playing hockey tease her. But as she watches her teacher she gets up her courage and manages to actually skate a little before she falls down. Her brief moment of success and the cheerful encouragement of her teacher combine to make her realize she does love skating - even if it's hard work - and she determines to keep trying.
There are a few other kids with brown skin on the ice, but most of the small group Claire encounters are white; it would be cool to pair this with the couple books on Black figure skaters and talk about the barriers in many sports that people of color had to overcome. The teasing of the hockey-playing boy isn't addressed by any of the adults, but Claire manages to give him a comeback in the end and he seems to be an accepted part of the group. Sterling has illustrated and authored several picture books depicted kids in sports and though all the body types are very similar, they are generally believable children, wearing chunky coats with round faces.
Verdict: This is a well-done story of a child trying a sport and facing the realities and challenges of learning a new skill for the first time. Recommended.
ISBN: 9781682632208; Published 2022 by Peachtree; Borrowed from another library in my consortium
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