The One and Only Sparkella, celebrity-authored meh

I was at a big box retail store and saw about ten copies of The One and Only Sparkella on the shelf. For comparison, the other picture books on the shelf had one to three copies of them. The book is written by Channing Tatum, whose name is in font almost as large as the title and listed above it. I’m torn on my opinion about this for a couple of reasons that boil down to book advances, celebrity status, and the overall impression that the book leaves on children. At the end of the book (or day), is The One and Only Sparkella something that kids will want to read, or will they enjoy it?

The first thing that young readers will notice about The One and Only Sparkella is that it sparkles. Her name is in sparkles, her dress has a sparkling outline, the letters are glossy and there are stars on the cover that reflect the light as you move the book. It’s a book on friendship, being true to yourself, and a young girl’s relationship with her father.

Sparkella is what Ella prefers to be called because it’s emblematic of her personality. The first day at her new school she goes in as she always does, but her classmates don’t appreciate her colorful, larger-than-life outward appearance. On the second day of school she asks her dad to call her Ella, her clothing is more subdued and sparkle-free. On the third day of school, she amps up her appearance and goes to school in a sparkle vengeance. This time her friends match her outward look, with their own variances and when she gets home she has a dance party with her dad.

It’s challenging for me not to be a little glib while talking about The One and Only Sparkella. As a book, it tells a cute story but is a bit wordy when compared to other illustrated books that have similar themes. If it were wordy and as good, or even better, that’s one thing. However, in this case, the words just stretch out the story and an illustrated book should not feel like it’s in need of a stretch.

The art in the book by Kim Barnes is bright and engaging, but the book’s format is smaller than its contemporaries. At the end of the day, or in this case, the book, it’s an OK book that’s garnering articles or more reviews than it otherwise would because of its celebrity author. The quality of The One and Only Sparkella is no better or worse than other books like this that kids would read. It’s pretty, but also forgetful, and is highly unlikely that young readers will be asking for a second series of adventures starring Sparkella.

Now, about those advance fees that some publishers pay. How people conduct their business on either the service or the provider end of things is up to them. If someone can make money doing something that’s not hurtful, illegal, or otherwise against the grain of society, then good for them. I have no idea if Tatum received an advance for this book. However, I am completely grouping him with other celebrities who have written books, received advances, and produced books that might not have measured up to the cost of that book.

In those instances, the publisher might have broken even due to the PR that was garnered for it and if I were a celebrity I would be writing a sub-par children’s book series too, just to earn that money. However, there are so many more books that are better than Sparkella. Part of me fears that publishers who pony up large advances are pushing out authors who are producing better work but don’t have the name value because they didn’t star in Magic Mike.

Will kids enjoy Sparkella? They will a little bit, and if they do then introduce to other books that might tweak their reading bone even further. The book has positive themes and lots of involvement from the dad, but other books do this story better.

The One and Only Sparkella is by Channing Tatum with illustrations by Kim Barnes and is available on Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers.

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