Review Detail

Kiki Kicks

Kids Fiction 706

Good Introduction to Karate

October 07, 2023 (Updated: June 06, 2026)

Overall rating

3.5

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

3.0

Young Kiki's mother and brother both practice karate, but she doesn't feel ready. When kids at school are unkind and start to bully her, she decides it is finally time to take up the sport because with will help her summon her inner calm and confidence. It's not easy, but she works hard at it, and begins to understand the philosophy behind the poses and movements. She may not yet be the mountain that her mother is, but she is trying her best to be a hill for now. This story is told alongside Yolen's poem from a Lee Bennett Hopkins anthology of sports writing and the words are woven into the new tale that she penned along with her grandchild.

Good Points

The illustrations employ a lot of grays, greens, and pops of yellow and orange, with Kiki's eyeglasses anchoring many of the pages. There are some Asian elements on the pages that echo Japanese woodblock prints, such as wind, flowers, trees, and animals, which is a nice tie-in. There's a nice sense of movement in the characters that helps move the story forward.

While most of the story is not in poetry, it is still told in a gentle, lyrical way, and gently shows Kiki's persistence. I would have liked to know more about why her brother was already taking instruction and she didn't feel ready, but this is a picture book, not a novel! It's good to see a character building resilience, and Kiki ends the story with a lot more confidence in standing up to people who give her a hard time.

Children who are interested pursuing Karate or other martial arts would be well advised to pick up Kiki Kicks along with Sterling's Karate Kids, Karate Kid by Kurstedt and Chambers, Little Ninja Goes to the Dojo by David Farris or Pinkney's classic 1998 JoJo's Flying Sidekick.