Our summer reading program was a blast this week, with pulsing african drums and all sorts of great encouraging yells to our dancers and kid (and adult) volunteers. The troupe was amazing, had lots of energy, and was unfailingly kind and professional, even when confronted with about 80 kids and toddlers.
But that's not what we're here for: BOOKS!
Dancing books are so much fun. There are so many, and I do them so often, that I try to find something new to read when I can, rather than recycle ones that are my own personal favorites. This time I ended up with a favorite from a couple years back, a really great read that I'd enjoyed before but never used in storytime, and a delightful newcomer who just stole my heart.
The Newcomer:
Dance is for Everyone
Andrea Zuill
Ballet class isn't quite the same when an alligator joins the practice sessions. But they name their new student Tanya (after the school's prima ballerina founder) and everything goes pretty well once they figure out how to deal with language barriers and very large and swishy tails. In fact, it goes so well that they create a piece specifically for their recital and it goes perfectly! But Tanya doesn't come back to class afterwards. After a few disheartening weeks, the class gets a note (you'll love the note) and they head over to the nearest swamp for an encore performance of their recital. Really cute, and a good match up with Lyle Crocodile or the snake one with the old lady that I can't remember at the moment.
Older Cutie:
Everybunny Dance
Ellie Sandall
This one is very sweet and cool because it totally subverts the fox and bunnies thing, and I love it when the kids are all shook when the fox appears, and then slowly grin and get into the joke when it all turns out all right. An excellent plot and twist and finale for such a short book.
Great (non-storytime) Read:
I Got the Rhythm
Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by George Morrison
Our unnamed sassy AA protagonist girl sashays down the streets, into the parks, and into the hearts of literally everyone she meets as she emits a cool funky beat with every move she makes. Eventually the beats compose into a dance, and there's glimpses of like an Enchanted (Disney live action princess movie, it's great, go watch it) sort of dance montage where you wonder if the rats and roaches are also cutting the rug under everyone's feet, and then it's all faded back and she's left alone sashaying back into the next chapter. No plot worth speaking of, but style and moxie for miles.
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