Bravo! by Moni Port, illustrated by Philip Waechter Ages 3-6 28 pages Gecko Press September 2011 Hardcover     Helena has an almost perfect life. She is a talented trumpet player, her brother is patient, and her mother is very supportive of her. The only problem is that Helena’s father can only speak in a loud roar –complaining “THIS COFEEE’S TOO HOT!” or “WHO ATE ALL THE ORANGES?” One night when Helena asks her mother what makes someone a shouter, she replies that it runs in the family and “When you’re older, you can be one too, if you like.” The next day, Helena says: “Thanks for everything, but I’m not going to be a shouter.” She waves goodbye and leaves home, with her father standing at the front door, shouting after her. Helena’s father searches high and low for Helena. When he cannot find her, he promises he will never shout again if Helena will just come home. When Helena does meet her family again, something surprising happens. Resilient Helena decides not to fight the status quo but also will to accept it, so she finds herself quieter more positive environments. The other effectively conveyed themes in this story include curbing bad habits and awareness of your own habits and how they affect those around you. The illustrations effectively capture the anxiety and distance between Helena and her father because of his shouting. The large, bold font also conveys the volume in the father’s shouting, versus the thin, organized, smaller font to illustrate the other family member’s calm. Bravo! Delivers a though provoking message about positive behavior and making socially acceptable and positive choices. Five stars.     web reviews   Maya Fleischmann/2012 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)