Repeating the formula she used in Lili at Ballet (Putnam, 1993), Isadora turns her attention to figure skating, rounding out her story of a fictional child with relevant information about the sport. Young readers are sure to admire eight-year-old Sophie, who is pursuing her dream of becoming a professional ice skater. While she clearly loves to skate, her story emphasizes the hard work, time, and dedication required to excel in the sport. Captions for the watercolor illustrations sometimes provide informative facts but are the book's weakest aspect. (A novice skater's free skate would be shorter than indicated, and the position shown for "shoot the duck" is incorrect.) Even so, children will love poring over the pictures of children skating. Isadora remains one of the best at illustrating rhythm and athletic movement. Rely on stronger titles in your nonfiction section for the skating information, and save Sophie Skates for its picture of a likable girl hard at work becoming a star. Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.