Title: Let’s Dance

Written by: Valerie Bolling

Illustrated by: Maine Diaz

Boyd Mills Press, 2020

For ages: 3-7

Themes/topics: dancing, cultures from around the world, rhyme, rhythm, joy

First pages:

           Tappity-Tap

           Fingers Snap

           Turn, Twirl

           Twist, Whirl

Summary (from the publisher):

This rhythmic showcase of dances from all over the world features children of diverse backgrounds and abilities tapping, spinning, and boogying away!

Tap, twirl, twist, spin! With musical, rhyming text, author Valerie Bolling shines a spotlight on dances from across the globe, while energetic art from Maine Diaz shows off all the moves and the diverse people who do them. From the cha cha of Cuba to the stepping of Ireland, kids will want to leap, dip, and zip along with the dances on the page!

Why I recommend this book:

This book beautifully captures the JOY and rhythms of dance. With energetic, rhyming text, the story is an incredibly fun read-aloud that will have kids wanting to say the words along with the story – and then try the dances for themselves! Ten different dances from around the globe are featured within the story and described in more detail in the back matter. Diaz’s bold and bright illustrations feature children who are diverse in terms of race, body size, and abilities. Bolling expertly employs onomatopoeia and captures the sheer delight of dance. Both the art and the text have a powerful sense of movement that will resonate with kids (and adults). Highly recommended!

Further reading:

Check out this great interview with author Valerie Bolling on the We Need Diverse Books blog: https://diversebooks.org/qa-with-valerie-bolling-lets-dance/

(For a colossal collection of picture book reviews, please visit this page on Susanna’s site: http://susannahill.com/for-teachers-and-parents/perfect-picture-books/.)