Review of “Fenix and the Firework Fliers” by Once Upon a Dance

Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)

This is the harrowing and exciting story of the most daring Fireworks Flier (firefly) there ever was: Fenix! But Fenix wasn't always a high-flying superstar. In fact, he was uniquely born with shorter wings than usual, which made it difficult for him to fly.

Fenix still dreamed of flying high like his fellow fireflies, specifically being one of the select hundred who participate in the Spirit of the Season performance. During this performance, the fireflies acrobatically light up a big, tall tree, forming the shape of a large insect, similar to a drone show, synchronized swimming, or a marching band.

The most prestigious and prized role in the entire Spirit of the Season performance is that of the Fireworks Flier who lights or acts as the star at the very top of the tree/formation. This is essentially the equivalent of the dot of the Ohio State “i.”

Fenix's fast-flying friend, Bolt, is scheduled to be the star at the top of the tree. However, the night of the performance, he hilariously drinks way too much nectar and can hardly move. It's up to Fenix to assume Bolt's helmet and role in order to save the show! Along the way, however, Fenix encounters several creatures who seemingly want to help him but who may have ulterior motives: a bullfrog, a spider, and an owl. Believing in himself and by the force of his own will, Fenix pushes past these obstacles to live out his dream.

This is the premise of Fenix and the Fireworks Fliers, yet another compelling children's dance book by the fine folks at Once Upon a Dance.

This book is beaming with positivity, promise, and potential. It's a fantastic message to send to kids who may be disabled, disadvantaged, or who may have self-defeating thoughts. Dreams do come true! Good things happen to those who wait and to those who try.

This is an example of a book with a great premise that maybe could have been executed a little better. For one, it took a few readings to understand the plot that we described, and we're adults. This might be due to it being a little on the wordy side. It might also be due to how the focus seems to shift a bit too much. For example, we don't meet our main protagonist, the titular character until the third page of the story. The first two pages of the story take their time introducing us to the flora and fauna of the scene and describing what the Fireworks Fliers are. That sounds good, however, a better approach may have been to show Fenix as a young firefly witnessing this fascinating event and being inspired by it.

Everyone can relate to seeing something that inspired them to do something. Everyone with a passion can relate and empathize to encountering that passion for the first time.

For example, maybe you're a rhythmic gymnast who was inspired after seeing Alina Kabaeva in the late 90s or early 2000s. Maybe you're a football player who watched some Dan Marino highlights. Or maybe you're a boxer now because you watched a Rocky movie.

Instead, we are just abruptly introduced to Fenix and told that he was inspired to be a Fireworks Flier. This is a case of it being better to show than to tell.

Another example of the book shifting focus is how the book went from Bolt drinking too much nectar to Fenix going off to live his dream, then veers off into a bunch of random, probably-figurative/symbolic animals confronting him along the way. It will probably take an adult to explain to the kids that these animal characters are predatory and unscrupulous because they looked and seemed friendly to us (on first glance). It's nuanced and, for a children's book, could be very challenging to come to the conclusion that we did (of the animals not meaning well). In fact, when we first read this, we thought that Fenix came across as rude and ungrateful to all of them. It seemed as though they were supporting him and that he was shooing them away and disregarding them.

It was only after several readings that we realized that they were out to distract or exploit him (perhaps for food). There are people in real life who are parasitic like that—people who are only there for you when things are good and you're successful. They disappear and turn their backs on you when you're not rich, famous, and/or successful anymore.

The thing is, who is the foil to these characters supposed to be? Shouldn't there be a foil character who demonstrates that they always believed in Fenix and always believed in him, even when times were tough? Is the foil supposed to be Bolt? We don't quite get that impression from Bolt.

We don't really get to see the friendship between Bolt & Fenix develop like we saw in something like The Gnatural (which, coincidentally, also featured two bugs who were friends). We're just supposed to accept that Bolt & Fenix are good friends without it really being demonstrated. Maybe it would've been nice to meet Fenix's mom or girlfriend who, hypothetically, always supported his goals. Instead, a lot of other random characters take up page space and screen time (i.e. the snakes, rabbits, and bear).

Also, what's with Bolt? Does he have an underlying problem with drinking too much nectar? If he does, that's a problem that should naturally be resolved as part of his arc, otherwise it's an unfinished arc. Maybe we can assume that he learned a hard lesson about drinking on the job by losing his spot on the team?

We don't want to harp on this too much, but the illustrations may be some of the weaker aspects of this book. They are less impressive than the illustrations found in Andi's Valentine Tree, Eka and the Elephants, and Tammy the Troll. Fenix and Bolt have extremely simplistic character designs, almost to the point where it's hard to tell them apart. One is blue and one is green. One has longer wings than the other. However, in the heat of the moment, it can be hard to distinguish between them. The other issue we noticed is that, at times, the color of the characters blended in too much with the background. For example, many of the characters have a pinkish, bluish, purplish hue. Do you know what else has a pinkish, bluish, purplish hue? The background.

With that said, a lot of this criticism may come from the fact that this series is known for its outstanding, colorful, brilliant, and bold illustrations. This is just a step below excellence, which is still great. We were still charmed by seeing some of these adorable animal illustrations. The butterflies, for example, look great. Kids will find the rabbits and the owl cute and appealing to look at.

The superstar, highlight, and saving grace of this book is definitely Ballerina Konora. She has never been more gorgeous, graceful, beautiful, cute, charismatic, or energetic than she is in this book. In fact, we were more amused and entertained by what she was doing on the right side of the page than what was going on in the story. Actually, in hindsight, maybe that's why all of these random animals had to get involved in the story. Konora had to demonstrate their dance moves to fulfill the dancing component of the book. We can understand that. Anyway, Konora really elevated this book with her performance. She has a very inviting and welcoming presentation, often asking the reader questions and encouraging them to get involved or to use their imagination.

Despite earlier commenting on the wordiness, we did like the sing-songy and appealing way in which the book is written and worded. We imagine that it would translate extremely well to an audiobook which would incorporate these lyrical verses with sound effects and music.

All in all, despite our constructive criticisms, this is still a good and worthwhile book, especially for children older than five or six who can get into the dance portion.

This book is projected to be released in March 2024. Check out the Once Upon a Dance website for updates and other great children's books!