Review Detail

THERE'S A ROCK CONCERT IN MY BEDROOM is a sweet picture book about family and nerves. Emma loves music and family dance parties. When the talent show is coming up, she decides to play the guitar. However, when she hears what the other students are doing, she worries that the guitar isn't good enough. Her family reassures her, and her sister gives her a lucky charm. When the dress rehearsal comes and she can't find her lucky charm, Emma feels a lot of anxiety and wants to quit. Her family has a dance party to remind her of why she is entering and tells her to imagine she is in a family dance party at the show. When the show comes, Emma rocks out imagining the family dance concert.

What I loved: This was an overall sweet story about anxiety and family. Emma is experiencing nerves around the idea of performing and feeling good enough compared to classmates. While children may not be participating in a talent show, they will recognize the feelings. The way that Emma's family helps her shows some ways to cope with such feelings as well as introducing the normalcy of anxiety. The colorful illustrations capture Emma, her love of music, and fondness for dancing well.

The text is clear on each page with strategic color changes to help with readability. The amount of text on each page will work for a wide range of ages, though the story itself will work best for elementary school aged readers.

Final verdict: THERE'S A ROCK CONCERT IN MY BEDROOM is a colorful and engaging story about dealing with nerves and the support of family.