Tony Award winning Stroker (Oklahoma!), the first wheelchair-user to appear on Broadway, has written an exuberant fictional tale loosely based on her own childhood. Depicted in Reid's buoyant illustrations as an energetic white girl in a wheelchair with a mane of curly blond hair, Ali can't seem to stay still. Growing up in a seaside town, Ali is "a boogie boarder, a beach bather, and a friend to everyone in Breezy Beach." She also longs for the day she can become a singer, a dancer, and an actor, until lifeguard Kate asks her what she's waiting for. What indeed? Ali's perfectly capable of mounting her own show on the boardwalk. And she does with aplomb: the show is cast, the set is built, the audience is recruited, and . . . is that rain? But not even a torrential downpour can dampen Ali's spirits or her creativity. In an author's note, Stroker talks about how theater helped her overcome her shyness, and this whimsical ode to performance and collaboration will entrance and entertain young audiences.

Tony Award winner Stroker (The Chance to Fly), the first actor who uses a wheelchair to appear on a Broadway stage, makes her picture book debut with the story of a girl who works to immediately realize her dream of being a theater-world triple threat. Deciding not to wait for -someday,- pink-skinned, blond-haired Ali, who uses a wheelchair and considers herself -a sister and a seashell spotter- as well as a -DANCER, a SINGER, and an ACTOR,- stages a free production of Peter Pan on her beach town-s boardwalk. She casts herself in the title role, Dad signs on to play Tinker Bell, and a group of friends with varying skin tones joins in. When the sky turns dark and a momentary downpour soaks the cardboard set, Ali refuses to postpone, cobbles together a new set from beach paraphernalia, and leads her fellow -Sea Stars- to a boffo performance. Reid-s (Peanut Goes for the Gold) unlined digital illustrations lend a sweet-natured, heart-on-their-sleeve vibe to this energetic portrayal of a theater kid kindred spirit. An author-s note includes a photo of Stroker starring as Annie at age seven. Ages 4-8. (May)

PreS-Gr 2 "Ali was a sister and a seashell spotter. She was a boogie boarder, a beach bather, and a friend to everyone in Breezy Beach. Best of all, Ali wasa dancer, a singer, and an actor." Or that's the plan. Right now, Ali's a young girl with big dreams that far outstrip her use of a wheelchair. Yes, Ali in the picture book is real-life Broadway and television star Ali Stroker's engaging, exuberantly illustrated alter ego, and although Reid's illustrations show Ali's wheelchair on the beach, onstage, and everywhere Ali goes. Her identity never mentioned in the narrative until the author's note. The main character decides that her future performance goals need not wait and puts on a show, with friends and family taking on the parts of Peter Pan , including Dad as Tinkerbell. A mostly white cast, with a minor show of diversity in supporting roles, throws themselves into the performance, despite a gullywasher of a rainstorm and lots of imagination for some last-minute stagecraft. VERDICT Dazzling beach bright colors and an action-packed plot match the wattage of the storytelling and its star, sure to win applause.Kimberly Olson Fakih