Ballistic Kids is a lyrical picture book. Both rhyme and colourful images tell the tale of Scott, a young boy from a small village, who shows you can achieve your dreams with some hard work and Rock ‘n’ Roll. The rhyming in this book makes it easy to follow and I think it would be nice to be read aloud by either a child or a parent as a bedtime story.
Scott and his best friend Matt don’t feel like they fit in, but instead of changing themselves to find acceptance, they form a band, meet new friends, have fun and work hard to be stage ready for the school talent show.
The message in this book that stood out the most to me is the importance of hard work and not trying to change to fit in. However, there are a number of other themes throughout Ballistic Kids that I think are valuable in a children’s book. Scott and Matt formed a band in order to make new friends and have fun and I liked that from the start the band enjoyed playing and persevered until their sound improved.
The band’s teamwork and dedication lead to recognition of their talent - a talent that is acquired through dedication and persistence. Although important to the success of the band in the story, these are messages that I think are easily applicable to a range of different situations. I think that these are themes that all children can relate to, although I’d say the writing and layout for the book are aimed at the 5+ age-range. This is a nice story for older siblings to read alongside someone younger, as the underlying themes are equally applicable to much older children too.
A bonus with Ballistic Kids is the collection of six songs that are available to listen to for free online. Each song was written in connection to a different part of the story. They are punky but accessible to children. In all a cool collection and a nice accompaniment to the storyline.
Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading4Kids Ambassador
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