Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Wed Jul 06 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Following a brutal tumble, a rad little skater rediscovers the courage to pick up the board again with the help of her friends.Cielo loves to skate all over town, devoting her time to zipping around with "a steezy push and a good pop." Conquering sidewalks via ollies and breezing down streets in fast downhill rides, the fearless brown-skinned girl zips across town, her own playground. When a new skate park with deep pools opens, Cielo finds a new obstacle to overcome: The Whale, aka the biggest, highest pool at the park. The fateful day arrives, and Cielo hangs over the rim, ready to skate down The Whale. Bam! Instead, she stumbles, falling flat. Shaken and frustrated, Cielo gives up the board altogether. Until one day, a couple of fellow skaters call to her from the skate park. Encouraged by her newfound friends, Mia and Miro (both of whom have lighter skin), Cielo reattempts The Whale. Will Cielo fly again? An overall charmer, Katstaller's ode to the etherealness and camaraderie of skateboarding pops and snaps from page to page. Colorful, sparse art with bold colors and unusual angles commits to an exceptional depiction of Cielo's flights and tumbles. Above all, the emphasis on community offers a rousing image of skateboarding, accentuated by an author's note and a glossary that clarifies terms and lingo for newcomers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Like a steezy gem. (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Cielo (whose name means sky in Spanish) is the picture of confidence and determination on her skateboard. Her sure smile and fierce slash-like eyebrows signal her mindset: "Nothing could stop her." Then she encounters The Whale, the biggest "pool" in a new skate park. She drops in bravely, but an unexpected fall psyches her out so much that she begins to mess up previously mastered jumps and tricks. Her crisis of confidence is relatable; frustration leads to anger, and "Cielo...shoved her skateboard in the back of her closet. She didn't want to look at it ever again." Katstaller's "steezy" (skater-speak for stylish, according to the glossary) mixed-media illustrations are both child-friendly and sophisticated, conveying emotion and intensity via color, shape, and dynamic shifts in perspective. With the encouragement of some other young skaters at the park, Cielo returns to confront her fears and tentatively attempts The Whale once more. It doesn't go well -- but this time she isn't alone. She falls "again...and again...Her friends helped her up each time." The story's focus is entirely on the kids (no adult interference in the text or art), which helps convey the sense of community Katstaller describes in an author's note about her own skating experience. When Cielo finally flies, triumphantly, the sky really is the limit. Kitty Flynn

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Following a brutal tumble, a rad little skater rediscovers the courage to pick up the board again with the help of her friends.Cielo loves to skate all over town, devoting her time to zipping around with "a steezy push and a good pop." Conquering sidewalks via ollies and breezing down streets in fast downhill rides, the fearless brown-skinned girl zips across town, her own playground. When a new skate park with deep pools opens, Cielo finds a new obstacle to overcome: The Whale, aka the biggest, highest pool at the park. The fateful day arrives, and Cielo hangs over the rim, ready to skate down The Whale. Bam! Instead, she stumbles, falling flat. Shaken and frustrated, Cielo gives up the board altogether. Until one day, a couple of fellow skaters call to her from the skate park. Encouraged by her newfound friends, Mia and Miro (both of whom have lighter skin), Cielo reattempts The Whale. Will Cielo fly again? An overall charmer, Katstaller's ode to the etherealness and camaraderie of skateboarding pops and snaps from page to page. Colorful, sparse art with bold colors and unusual angles commits to an exceptional depiction of Cielo's flights and tumbles. Above all, the emphasis on community offers a rousing image of skateboarding, accentuated by an author's note and a glossary that clarifies terms and lingo for newcomers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Like a steezy gem. (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

From ollies to hippie jumps, Cielo lives and breathes skateboarding: “She had a steezy push and a good pop, and sometimes it looked like she was flying.” But when an attempt to drop into a deep pool dubbed the Whale results in an unexpectedly intense fall, her shaken confidence sees her casting the sport aside—until two new friends encourage renewed effort. In oil crayon, oil paint, gouache, and colored pencil, Katstaller’s art captures the scale of the Whale; looking down from the edge, Cielo casts a nearly page-filling shadow. While the pale gray of concrete predominates, coral and maroon highlight the intensity of Cielo’s frustration as she tries again and again until, buoyed by her friends, her tumbles become just part of the learning process. Her bumpy path to skating prowess lends this hip story a moving authenticity. Back matter includes a glossary and an author’s note. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)