How Do You Dance?
“How do you dance?” asks the title of a playful picture book that celebrates movement in all its zany forms. “Mags beckons. Koyo bops. Gilda flits. Aurora scrunches.” Anyone can dance! But, “I don’t …” says a brown-skinned boy who stands with arms resolutely crossed. The unseen narrator tries to convince him. All you have to do is “move a part, then move another.” You can dance for any reason, anywhere. Maybe you ate a delicious food, or you’re trying to cheer yourself up, or you’re waiting at a bus stop. Plus, you’d be in good company. “Dinos” dance, and so do “horsies.” Even dads! The story—which continues to return to the brown-skinned boy who insists he doesn’t dance—gets sillier, along with the dances, as it progresses. Finally the boy reveals his secret: He doesn’t dance “like that.” No—he likes to dance alone. The final, joyful page shows him in his bedroom, cutting a rug—and a bed, and a chair, and a bookshelf—blissfully uninhibited. Pencil and watercolor illustrations against white pages skillfully depict a large, diverse cast of characters and their individual styles of dance, from grand to goofy. ©2020 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Thyra Heder
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-7
Age Range:
Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3)
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Dance and Dancers
Difference/Individuality
Diversity subjects:
Asian
Multicultural General
Publisher:
Abrams
Publish Year: 2019
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781419734182
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Heder