ALA Booklist (Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 1992)

Told in the first person, this brightly illustrated story in the Step into Reading series has fun with gender roles and conformity. A girl and her best friend, Mary Ann, love playing baseball with their coed team, the Sharks. But their mothers make them take ballet lessons. Scared that the Sharks will call them wimps, the girls decide to keep ballet a secret. Mary Ann changes, though; she gets to like dance, and she loves being a star in the class recital, even when the Sharks come and watch. The end's a bit too contrived, with a baseball catch onstage, but kids will enjoy the situation comedy and the surprise in people and story. (Reviewed June 1, 1992)

Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1992)

When her mother decides she needs to learn more 'girl' things, a young baseball-loving girl is forced to take ballet lessons. Sure that her teammates will laugh at her if they find out, she is pleasantly surprised when the team arrives to cheer her on at her dreaded recital. Humorously illustrated with bright colored-pencil drawings, the easy-to-read story ably and lightly portrays the frustrations of a nonconformist child.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-- Many girls will feel an affinity for this young narrator. Her mother insists that she take ballet lessons, and the child worries that her baseball teammates will find out. But at the recital, she saves the show when she rescues her friend's crown with a well-executed dancing catch. Numerous full-color illustrations offer plenty of reading clues for emerging readers. Another strong offering from this series. --Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID