Sunday, May 20, 2012

A New Blog Series: Have You Met...

Many picture books these days are considered "character-driven," focused on a loveable character who is introduced to readers and then usually shows up in a subsequent series of books. Olivia, Fancy Nancy, and Ladybug Girl are a few you might be familiar with. In fact, all three of these characters are so popular that they each have an entire website devoted just to them. Wow!


It turns out that some dance books are also character-driven and have turned into a series. For instance, the very first blog post I ever wrote was called Have You Met Katy Duck? It introduced readers to a dancing duck named Katy who has appeared in board books, a picture book, and most recently an easy reader. Katy seems to be dancing so much that I should probably find out what she's been up to and write another post about her soon. But until then...


All of this has me thinking that it would be fun to develop an informal blog series to introduce more picture book characters who dance. I don't think it will be a regular series, but as the muse hits me and as I learn more about other characters, I'll add to the series.

Are there any characters you think I should highlight? I already have a few in mind, but I'm sure there are more I don't know about yet. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

12 comments:

  1. That's a great idea, Kerry. As usual the mind is blank though.

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    1. Hi, Catherine. Glad you like the idea! My mind is blank much more of the time than I would like it to be these days, so no worries! Thanks for the support :)

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  2. Sounds like a really cool feature. Can't wait to read it! :)

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  3. You should definitely include Ella Bella by UK illustrator/author James Mayhew http://jamesmayhewpresentsellabellaballerina.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thanks, Zoe. I actually learned about Ella Bella from Playing by the Book some time ago and have been planning a post about her. In fact, I sort of started writing it one day, and that's also what made me think to start this series. I've only read two of the books but would love to read them all. Thanks for introducing me to Ella Bella :)

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  4. My almost-four-year-old and I both loved Tallulah's Tutu! There's a newly-published sequel, too, which we haven't yet read. Such a sweet story about a little girl who is certain she will be a wonderful ballerina. Beautiful illustrations, and I really liked how the book managed to convey the excitement of starting ballet, while also showing that patience and effort are just as important as the beautiful fancy tutu :)

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    1. Thanks so much for the recommendation! I've also seen Tallulah's Tutu but haven't read the sequel yet either. I'll definitely add it to my list!

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  5. Hi Kerry - fun series idea! I assume you have Brontorina and Giraffes Can't Dance...but what about secondary characters, too. For example, in Click, Clack, Moo, I believe the pigs do an interpretive dance for the talent show. Ha! :)

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    1. Thanks, Renee. I had forgotten about those pigs doing interpretive dance! And thanks for reminding me about Brontorina and Giraffes Can't Dance--both books I adore :)

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  6. As you are talking about dancing characters, I'd love for you to look at my PRANCING, DANCING LILY, a cow who doesn't fit in with the herd and who dances around the world. Have fun!

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    1. Hi, Marsha. Thanks for stopping by! Prancing, Dancing Lily looks delightful. I actually just ordered a copy from an independent seller through Amazon and look forward to reading it. I'm reserving the "Have You Met..." series for characters in a series, but I feature lots of other dance-relatd books on my site. I'll let you know if I do a post on Lily :) By the way, your web site is beautiful. And congrats on all your books!

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