Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon Jun 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Starred Review This joyous celebration of break dancing is a visual treat. Vibrant full-page illustrations pop off pages, perfectly complementing the spare but effective text. The story begins in the Bronx in the early 1970s, evoking the Puerto Rican-inspired rhythms, and follows the adventures of Manolo, a fictitious composite character. Fascinated by the beats and the pulsing energy, Manolo teaches himself how to flow with the music, and goes on to become a breaker with his own crew, the Borinquén. Manolo and other crews burst into the media spotlight as the action segues into the '80s and beyond, appearing in movies and competing in national and international competitions. Bold, highly defined pictures capture the dancers' elasticity and grace in their increasingly complex moves, encouraged by the refrain, "Hip-Hop, y'all, and ya don't stop!" This simple tale is set against the social history of the Bronx, which transformed from an impoverished but populous area into a neglected, rubble-filled urban landscape before hip-hop played a role in its revitalization. This enticing introduction includes an illustrated glossary of footwork, power moves, and routines and is just in time for the upcoming debut of breaking at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Jun 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A timid Puerto Rican child picks up the beats and gets down on the streets in the 1970s.Young Manolo takes in everything in his Bronx neighborhood: Latin boogaloo singalongs, "hip-swaying rumba parties," bass-heavy thrums, and the "zigga, zigga scratch" of DJs on turntables. A refrain appears throughout: "ROCK, ROCK, Y'ALL, AND YA DON'T QUIT!" It's the rise of "HIP-HOP!" and break dancing. The B-boys and B-girls and their dance crews make it look way smooth-in dance-offs where spectators cheer and jeer with bravado-but Manolo slinks away, discouraged. Does he have what it takes? As the Bronx succumbs to the rubble and exodus caused by "corrupt politicians and greedy landlords," Manolo perfects his top rock and six step, gaining a dance crew and a new moniker: Kid Flex. Soon enough, Kid Flex and the Borinquén Breakers make their mark, taking the pulsing beat of the Boogie Down Bronx to new neighborhoods. In this beatific tale, Acevedo serves up a fictional tale rooted in history that pays tribute to young Black and brown breakers. With text full of punchy words and phrases, the author invokes the indelible zest of hip-hop in a way that inspires. Morrison's hazy, graffiti-flavored artwork is spellbinding, with bodies etched in movement that leap off the pages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)An irresistible beat to get readers on their feet. (afterword, photos, glossary, author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Acevedo and Morrison provide an engaging, gritty, urban retrospective on the role young people played in establishing break dancing and hip-hop. Set in the Bronx in the 1970s, the story follows Manolo, a "shy Puerto Rican boy who soaked up every bold beat of the conga." Although not a biography, Acevedo's work reads like one because, as she explains in the afterword, the character of Manolo is a composite of many real-life young dancers. As Manolo grows, he admires the dances of the b-boys and b-girls ("B stands for BREAK") and closely follows the "battles," dance-offs with crowds of teens who moved, grooved, and cheered on their favorites. Although he despairs of ever being good at it, he practices until his "flops turned into flips" and his "goofs into glides." But as his talent soars (he acquires the nickname "Kid Flex" because he's so limber), the neighborhood declines: burned-out buildings and broken windows abound as garbage and vandalism fill the streets. Manolo forms a dance crew, the Borinquen Breakers, and a (real-life) white photographer, Henry Chalfant, captures their talent, opening doors to recognition, movie deals, and other markers of fame. This lusciously illustrated picture book, with Morrison's signature images of characters with elongated arms and legs, effectively captures Manolo's initial hesitancy and later verve, bravado, and dizzyingly bodacious moves. A wonderful story of an important artistic form that, like jazz, emerged from Black and Brown communities.

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

A timid Puerto Rican child picks up the beats and gets down on the streets in the 1970s.Young Manolo takes in everything in his Bronx neighborhood: Latin boogaloo singalongs, "hip-swaying rumba parties," bass-heavy thrums, and the "zigga, zigga scratch" of DJs on turntables. A refrain appears throughout: "ROCK, ROCK, Y'ALL, AND YA DON'T QUIT!" It's the rise of "HIP-HOP!" and break dancing. The B-boys and B-girls and their dance crews make it look way smooth-in dance-offs where spectators cheer and jeer with bravado-but Manolo slinks away, discouraged. Does he have what it takes? As the Bronx succumbs to the rubble and exodus caused by "corrupt politicians and greedy landlords," Manolo perfects his top rock and six step, gaining a dance crew and a new moniker: Kid Flex. Soon enough, Kid Flex and the Borinquén Breakers make their mark, taking the pulsing beat of the Boogie Down Bronx to new neighborhoods. In this beatific tale, Acevedo serves up a fictional tale rooted in history that pays tribute to young Black and brown breakers. With text full of punchy words and phrases, the author invokes the indelible zest of hip-hop in a way that inspires. Morrison's hazy, graffiti-flavored artwork is spellbinding, with bodies etched in movement that leap off the pages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)An irresistible beat to get readers on their feet. (afterword, photos, glossary, author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

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

Beginning in the 1970s, Acevedo creates a picture book ode to break dancing and the Bronx through a shy Puerto Rican protagonist named Manolo. Though “others said the Bronx was nothing but rubble,” and “corrupt politicians and greedy landlords” result in myriad problems, Manolo soaks up his environment, surrounded by family singing along to “Latin Boogaloo” and “throwing hip-swaying rumba parties.” Heading to his first-ever jam, he’s captivated by b-boys and b-girls who “danced with a mix of splits, twists, and shuffles inspired by James Brown’s flickering feet and funky music”—and, finding his groove, determines to become part of a dance crew. Morrison’s graffiti-inflected art style makes smart use of changing perspectives, crowd scenes, and dance silhouettes to showcase a triumphant story of a child honing his talent until “his flow loose, limber earned him the nickname KID FLEX.” Back matter includes an afterword and list of breaking terms. Ages 6–10. (June)