ALA Booklist (Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 1995)

To earn her tae kwon do yellow belt, JoJo must break a board with a flying side kick, and she is less than confident. Family and friends offer advice to ease her anxiety over the upcoming test. Grandaddy shows her a little shuffle step he used in boxing, P.J. advises a yell from the diaphragm, and Mama explains how to visualize. But how can JoJo succeed when she's even afraid of the creepy bandit tree in her yard? Pinkney's distinctive scratchboard technique employs swirls of oil color, mirroring JoJo's turbulent emotions, carefully etched with detail. His tranquil blues and warm yellows evoke the loving community of family and friends that surrounds JoJo, while touches of violet, added to the bandit tree and swirled through JoJo's bedroom, reflect the unsettling fears in JoJo's mind. Anyone who has faced a similar sleepless night will appreciate Pinkney's empowering story and cheer as JoJo finds her own way to channel her fears. (Reviewed Oct. 15. 1995)

Horn Book

To earn her yellow belt in tae kwon do class, JoJo must 'break a board with a flying side kick.' She cannot sleep for fear of the test and the 'creepy bandit tree' in her yard that seems to lunge at her when she walks by. At the test, she adapts the advice given by family and friends, smashing the board and her fear of the tree simultaneously. Pinkney's illustrations effectively depict JoJo's worry and celebrate her triumph.

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

Writing about a boy trying to earn a yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do, Pinkney (who holds a black belt in that art) """"effortlessly gets into the mind of his protagonist,"""" said PW. """"Energetic scratchboard illustrations swirl with movement."""" Ages 5-8. (Nov.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2--In order for JoJo to advance from a white to a yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do, she must break a board with a flying side kick. Little wonder she worries! Everyone offers support and advice. Granddaddy recommends that she do a little fancy footwork to chase away the jitters,'' the way he did before his boxing matches. Her friend advises her that, when she yellsKIAH,'' she should make it come from deep in her stomach for greater power. Her mother advocates a winning visualization technique. When the big test comes, JoJo does all three. She dances a bit on her feet, shouts from deep inside, and visualizes a ``creepy'' tree in her own yard that has always frightened her. She successfully calls upon her own inner resources to overcome more than one fear and earns the coveted yellow belt. Pinkney's art lifts this story above the narrow realm of self-help bibliotherapy. His illustrations, executed in scratchboard and oil, excel at the depiction of movement--whether it is the movement of a scary tree (archetype for any number of childhood fears) or the movement of a flying side kick. Children will be fascinated by the sport, by the refreshing female protagonist, and by the thrill of her accomplishment. An author's note gives more information about Tae Kwon Do. This will not be a shelf-sitter.--Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT