School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Poor Belinda! She has arrived in Paris to perform, but her ballet shoes went to Pago Pago. To add to her problem, she has very big feet. As she and a young dancer, Gabrielle, race through the streets of the city looking for a replacement pair, help comes from some unexpected places. With the assistance of a fashion designer and her silk cloth, a baker and his baguettes, and a cobbler, the prima ballerina gets her shoes and dazzles the audience at the evening performance as her new friends look on. Charming, brightly colored pastel illustrations depict an expressive, elongated, cartoonlike Belinda. Various landmarks, such as the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre, are appealingly portrayed. Combining whimsy, humor, and an engaging glimpse of France, this story of Belinda's triumph will win applause from young readers.--Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The waitress-turned-dancer with the overlarge feet introduced in Belinda the Ballerina heads to the City of Light to dance her way past the Eiffel Tower and down the Champs Elys?es in Belinda in Paris by Amy Young. But-Quel dommage!-upon arrival she discovers that her dancing shoes went to Pago Pago. What's a ballerina to do? With a bit of wit and luck, Belinda takes the stage right on time. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Belinda of Belinda the Ballerina fame is performing in Paris, and the city is abuzz with the news. But Belinda is worried when her ballet shoes are lost. Resourceful to the end, the dancer has her extraordinarily large feet shod bythe time of the night's performance. The art features Paris landmarks as well as ramrod-straight postured Belinda always wearing her pink tutu. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Belinda the big-footed ballerina returns for another performance in this Paris-set sequel. She has perfected her skills since her debut and has been invited to perform with "the best ballet company in Paris," but alas, her pointe shoes have been lost in transit, and Belinda has only one day to find a new pair to fit her immense feet. With the help of a charming little French dancer, Belinda twirls through the city of Paris searching for her new shoes, seeing famous sights, and meeting Parisians along the way. She helps several new friends solve their own dilemmas in creative ways, resulting in a solution to her own problem: new pink pointe shoes made with baguettes as the shoe forms. Young's thorough research is apparent in all the subtle French touches throughout her gouache illustrations and in her choices of locations throughout Paris. Belinda is an amusing and appealing character who surely will find other performance venues as her character continues to develop. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr 2. The famously big-footed dancer who made her picture-book debut in Belinda the Ballerina0 (2002) is prepared to take Paris by storm--except for one catastrophic detail: the airline has mistakenly shipped her pointe shoes to Pago Pago. Belinda pounds the pavement searching for a replacement pair of boat-sized ballet slippers, but as a salesman at the finest specialty store diplomatically informs her, "there is not a shoe in all of Paris that will fit such magnificent feet." Even the cobbler is stymied; there's not a length of pink silk or a form large enough for the job. Persistence pays, though, and Belinda's fans will enjoy her triumph. Besides illustrating Belinda's lively tale, the lightly stylized paintings introduce children to the sights, the streets, and the ambiance of Paris. Even better, the solution to Belinda's problem has a distinctively Parisian flavor. Like its predecessor, this picture book features an engaging story, graceful illustrations, and, in Belinda, an instantly recognizable character who is simply magnifique0 . --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
