cover image KARATE GIRL

KARATE GIRL

Mary Leary, . . FSG, $16 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-374-33977-7

Text outshines art in debut author/artist Leary's insider's view of karate, narrated by a big sister eager to avenge her bullied little brother. At the girl's first lesson, however, her motives are checked, when the teacher tells her, "Karate is not only about self-defense.... To be sure enough of oneself to avoid a fight—that is what karate is about." The girl explains the significance of the colors of the karate belts and the class's activities, and Leary succinctly illustrates a kata, or combination of moves, with sequential images of the protagonist, her motions diagrammed by arrows (once she's mastered a kata, it "seems like a beautiful dance done with an invisible partner"). For the most part Leary manages to convey both the activity of the dojo as well as the less easily dramatized hours of practice and concentration. The illustrations, however, may not be to everyone's taste. The characters have disproportionately large heads, noses and feet, and many compositions favor high-contrast palettes. The relatively loud style may be off-putting and seems antithetical to the goal of quieting the mind (emphasized as the first skill to be mastered), but Leary offers a solid introduction to the practice of karate. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)