Imagine a triple billing of Fancy Nancy, Olivia, and Eloise, and you'll have a sense of the energy, ambition, and sheer (yet still-to-be-fully-honed) talent of Little Diva. Her creator, a Tony Award winning actress, has produced a realistic and endearing character who dreams of taking to the stage like her mother, a Broadway star, with whom she lives in a loving home that includes her grandmother and dog. Not diva-ish or bratty in the least, this aspiring performer knows her career path will take hard work, and so she practices and exercises diligently and helps around the theater before and during matinees. Pinkney depicts these behind-the-scenes actions with swooping and flowing black lines on framed white pages brushed lightly with pale hues. While the subtle palette may seem slightly dull, it can also feel sophisticated and makes the skin color of the beautiful characters universal. Accompanied by a CD of the author singing and reading, this will be well cast in programs on the performing arts.

An award-winning combo, she of the Tony and he of the ALA variety, perform a spirited duet of words and pictures in which Nena, the "D.I.T.—that's a Diva-in-Training," narrates a day in her life. Mommy is a Broadway star, and Nana shares their home. "Divas in Training" dress and move with style, vocalize and on matinee days get to hang out backstage at the theater trying on costumes and assisting the stage manager. Family love and affection is strong, especially when Mommy leaves for the evening performance with many kisses for Nena and Nana tucks her into bed. Pinkney's art swirls about in black lines adorned with yellows, pinks and blues, infusing each page with an infectious upbeat. The swooping lines effectively evoke the bundle of energy that is Nena and the excitement of live performance. All young ones who dream of dressing up and performing will find a kindred spirit in Nena. This should play to sold-out audiences. Accompanying CD read and sung by the author not heard. (Picture book. 3-7)

Stage actress LaChanze and Caldecott Honor artist Pinkney (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Duke Ellington) shine a glowing spotlight on a “Diva-in-Training,” whose role model is her Broadway star mother. Loose, wispy black line art with pastel-toned washes playfully convey Nena’s constant motion and exuberance as she describes her day. At home she tries on her mother’s clothes and practices yoga with her, but more than anything Nena loves to accompany her mother to the theater for a matinee. Nena plays her own behind-the-scenes roles, trying on wigs (a montage has her resembling everyone from Elvis to one of the Supremes), helping a guitar player tune up, calling for actors to take their places, and imitating her mother’s on-stage bow from the wings (“Mommy says a real diva <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">never bows too long, but I could bow forever”). LaChanze highlights both the glamour and the drawbacks of a diva’s life—Nena regretfully watches her mother return to the theater without her—but readers will recognize that, with a loving mother and grandmother, Nena is indeed “on her way.” An accompanying CD features a song and reading by LaChanze. Ages 4–8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(May)

PreS-K LaChanze, a star of stage and screen herself, supplies a peek at the life of a Broadway performer in this enticing story about a girl's dream of one day conquering the Great White Way. Nena relates her activities from morning to night as she works as a "D.I.T.Diva-in-Training." After trying on her mother's clothes, dancing and singing about the house, and watching her mother practice her yoga, the two spend the afternoon at the theater, where the woman is the star. Readers get a glimpse of backstage life as Nena visits with the crew, tries on wigs in the costume department, "helps" the musicians tune up, and then watches the show from the sidelines. That evening, she drifts off to sleep, stardust in her eyes. Pinkney catches the mood with sprawling thick black lines and swirling soft hues of pink, lavender, blue, and tawny, bringing a breezy lightness that fits this upbeat tale. Swathes of colors back various-sized type, giving voice to Nena's excitement: "WOW," "IT'S SHOWTIME," "YOU ARE AMAZING." Youngsters, girls in particular, will pore over the pictures and imagine themselves right into the story. Look out Americathis book is sure to increase its numbers of D.I.T.s. Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA