Let's Celebrate Dance and Diversity!

Happy book birthday -- on March 3, 2020, to be exact -- to the new picture book Let's Dance! by author Valerie Bolling and illustrator Maine Diaz. I've been in contact with Valerie and am excited to both tell you and show you more about her lively new book and how it came to be!

Author Valerie Bolling

In only about 60 words of rhyming text, Let's Dance! manages to introduce readers to 10 types of dance and spread the messages that dance is fun and dance is for everyone. Valerie says she knew from the very beginning that she wanted this book to celebrate diversity and wanted her words "to promote a world in which marginalized and/or underrepresented children can see themselves and feel valued and heard." 

Luckily Valerie's editor Jes Negron agreed and expanded on her vision by making the theme more global. "Where I saw Tappity-Tap/Fingers Snap as tap dance, she imagined flamenco from Spain," says Valerie. "I envisioned the electric slide for Glide and Slide/Side to Side, but Jes suggested long-sleeve dancing from China. I was thrilled with her ideas!"

As you can see from the two images above, Maine Diaz really delivered on Valerie's vision of diversity and the global theme. Her 20 amazingly vibrant illustrations, including images of a boy in a wheelchair and a child in a tutu whose gender is not discernible, really pop off the page.

Maine also weaves different shapes into her illustrations -- like large and small circles and curls in the two images above and triangles, stars, and more in many others. When the smaller shapes scattered throughout the book are combined, they add a celebratory feel, acting like confetti!

Let's Dance! is Valerie's debut picture book, and she's busy writing more. You can keep up with her on Twitter and Instagram, and of course you can celebrate dance and diversity by reading her book!

Read & Romp Roundup: Sept/Oct 2014

Welcome to the September/October Read & Romp Roundup! And since it's actually November, this post also gives me an opportunity to highlight one of my favorite online celebrations -- Picture Book Month! The Picture Book Month blog is full of posts from children's book authors and illustrators who have been sharing all month long why picture books are important to them. It's a very inspiring read, and one I am feeling thankful for this time of year!

Just in time for the cold weather, Darshana at Flowering Minds reviews the new picture book Flora and the Penguin -- the sequel to the popular Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle. Her post includes a delightful trailer for this lift-the-flap book about friendship, told through beautiful ice dancing scenes with the two main characters.

At Wild Things Yoga, Kathleen shares some yoga ideas to go with Manfish: A Story of  Jacque Cousteau by Jennifer Berne and Eric Puybaret. She uses the book to talk about the concept of Ahimsa (non-violence) and try out some fun yoga poses related to the sea!

At Mother Daughter & Son Book Reviews, Renee and her son highlight the new picture book Twelve Dancing Unicorns by Alissa Heyman and Justin Gerard -- a variation of Twelve Dancing Princesses but with unicorns instead! Renee says the book is "an absolutely enchanting tale weaving the themes of magic, love, and friendship" with artwork that is "among the best I've seen in picture books."

Book to Boogie is a monthly series of the Library as Incubator Project in which guest bloggers pair picture books with movement activities for story time. The September post was on Quick as a Cricket by Audrey and Don Wood. The October post was on Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill and Charles Fuge.

Debbie at American Indians in Children's Literature features Girls Dance, Boys Fiddle by Carole Lindstrom and Kimberley McKay. The main character is a girl named Metisse who would rather play the fiddle than dance, even though most people in her community expect girls to dance. Metisse is part of an Aboriginal group known as the Métis people, who live in parts of Canada and the Northern United States. According to Debbie, you can find elements of Métis culture on every page! 

Giveaway: Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance!

When I first saw the cover of Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance by Birgitta Sif, I knew it was a picture book I wanted to get my hands on. And when I finally did, I wasn't disappointed. The cover, which I loved from the start, doesn't even do justice to the illustrations inside. Created in muted tones with pencil and digital coloring, they are truly gorgeous! 

Dedicated "to all those who live with all their heart," Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance is a child's journey of overcoming inhibitions to be herself and do what she loves, no matter who might be watching. 

Frances Dean loves to dance. In fact, she loves to dance AND dance (as the title of the book implies.) She especially loves to dance outside, where she can feel the wind and hear the birds around her -- as long as no one is watching, that is. But with the help of her animal friends and another little girl with a big talent, Frances slowly but surely overcomes her self-consciousness. In fact, by the end of the book, she loves to dance and dance AND dance in front of everyone!

Overcoming inhibitions to pursue your passion is an important life lesson, and one that often takes years to learn. I still remember when I was in college, covering up my computer screen any time someone came in the room, for fear that he or she might read what I was writing. Now, many years later, I'm willing to show my writing to just about anyone, eager for feedback and comfortable with criticism. But boy did it take a long time. 

Little Frances Dean, having already overcome similar fears, is well on her way to a happy and healthy life. Although Frances Dean's passion is dance, her story is universal and could be applied to other passions such as music, art, and sports. I hope she can inspire lots of other little girls and boys to follow in her footsteps!

I'm giving away a copy of Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance! Simply leave a comment on this post to enter. Feel free to share your passion, or share a story about overcoming your inhibitions, in your comment. The giveaway closes at 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, September 24, 2014. 

You can learn more about author/illustrator Birgitta Sif at http://www.birgittasif.com or in a recent interview at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. And finally, thanks to Random House for sending me a review copy of this book. I ended up buying my own copy as well, so receiving the review copy allowed me to host this giveaway. 

An Interview with Author Marlena Zapf: Part II

I’m happy to re-introduce picture book author Marlena Zapf to you today. Last week Marlena talked with me about the writing and publication process for her debut picture book Underpants Dance. Today we’re going to focus our discussion on movement -- the movement in the book, Marlena’s background in dance, and how she uses yoga and movement for her author visits!

Welcome back, Marlena! I love how you left a lot of room for illustrations in Underpants Dance, especially when Lily is dancing in her room. “First she did this. Then she did this. Then she went round and round like this. Then she said, “TA-DA!” At these places in the book, were the illustrations by Lynne Avril what you envisioned, or a total surprise?

I feel so fortunate that Lynne agreed to illustrate Underpants Dance. She brings Lily’s spirit to life so perfectly. I believe that picture books are a dialogue between text and illustration, and so I deliberately left room for Lynne to do her thing. I only gave my editor a few notes about what I wanted (like the Toulouse-Lautrec in the museum scene) and trusted the rest. I was expecting Lynne to come up with new things, so I wasn’t incredibly surprised by the illustrations in general.

What did surprise me was that when I received the cover illustration of Lily, it looked strikingly like a dance photo of myself that had been taken that very same week. I will add that Lynne had NEVER seen a picture of me.

Your website also includes some other great photos of you either dancing or wearing that really cool tutu. Do you have a background in dance? 

I’ve always danced for fun, but I never studied dance until I was an adult. (My mother decided to save me from repeating her own unpleasant childhood experience with ballet by signing me up for Girl Scouts instead. I think I would have preferred dance class.) Perhaps it’s for this reason that people often tell me my dance has a childlike quality. I have fun, dance with abandon, and don’t care what anyone thinks of me.

As an adult, I’ve studied a bunch of different kinds of dance, and continue to take new classes when I can. I do something called contact improvisation, which is done with partners or groups, and plays consciously with the physics of gravity and momentum, as well as human connection — it’s a great metaphor for how we move through life and relationships. I’m also part of a community in New England that hosts what are sometimes called “barefoot” or “ecstatic” dances. Really what that means is you take off your shoes and dance however you want. For me, it’s a moving meditation.

School visits are such a big part of marketing picture books these days. How do you present your book to children, teachers, and school librarians? (A little birdie told me that it might involve movement.)

Lily’s story is really about self-expression, so I encourage kids to express themselves through activities that accompany the reading. And I don’t just stand there and tell the kids what to do. I engage with them. I’m certified to teach kids’ yoga and movement, so I use some of those techniques to help kids focus and then have fun with them after the reading.

If the children are sitting on the floor, I like to spread out colorful Yoga Dots, which I learned about from Rosemary Clough. You can buy them or make them out of old yoga mats. (Kids love to pick out their favorite color.) They serve a dual purpose. They give kids focus and a place to sit for the portion of the presentation for which they need to stay still(ish). Afterward, you can use them to play games in which the kids step, dance, jump, and move on or around the dots. This way, kids get their wiggles out, but the dots provide a focus that keeps things contained so that the “wild rumpus” doesn’t turn into utter mayhem. (Teachers are not fans of mayhem.)

Here’s a simple example. Set the dots around the space and play music or sing a song while kids move around the dots. You might encourage them to move at a certain speed or with a specific movement. When the music or song stops, kids jump on a dot and assume their favorite shape or yoga pose. Repeat!

Wow. I didn’t realize you were certified to teach kids’ yoga and movement, too. You are very multi-talented! It’s been a pleasure learning more about Underpants Dance and how you incorporate yoga and movement into your author visits. Thank you, Marlena! 

In case you missed Part I of my interview with Marlena, you can check it out here. You can also learn more about Marlena on her website at www.marlenazapf.com!

An Interview with Author Marlena Zapf: Part I

Earlier this month I attended the annual summer conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), where I   so enjoyed hearing a variety of publication success stories, especially those of debut picture book authors and illustrators like Pat Zietlow Miller and Aaron Becker. Today another debut picture book author   -- Marlena Zapf -- is joining us to tell us about her own unique journey to publication. Marlena's book Underpants Dance, with exuberant illustrations by Lynne Avril, was published by Dial in April of this year. It is the story of Lily McBloom, who loves her brand-new underpants so much that she makes up a special dance to show them off. As it turns outs, she loves her underpants so much that she even takes her fancy new dance on the road -- with both hilarious and heartwarming consequences.

Congratulations on your picture book debut! Can you tell us a little bit about how Underpants Dance came to be?

Of course! When I wrote Underpants Dance and chose not to include an ending in which the protagonist “learns her lesson” in the traditional way, I knew not every editor would be jumping to publish it. So what did I do? Research -- just like SCBWI and every children’s book editor will tell you to do. And it paid off.

Here is what I did. I found out that Steve Meltzer was the Dutton editor for Walter the Farting Dog, and I figured if he likes farting dogs he might be okay with underpants, too. So I followed Dutton’s submission guidelines and sent him a query. He sent back a note asking me to email the manuscript, which I did. Then I waited…almost a whole year. Now, I’ve worked in publishing and know how busy things get. I had a good hunch that the email with my manuscript was lost for good. I also knew that Steve probably had an assistant who read all his mail. So I decided to send a hard copy with a letter politely explaining the situation. Lo and behold, the assistant did find my manuscript, and after some further editorial gymnastics, I ended up with editor Liz Waniewski at Dial and a book contract with my name on it.

Wow. That’s a great story of research and persistence paying off! If we go back in time a little further, what initially inspired you to write Underpants Dance?

I used to be a reading editor at a big school publisher. One thing you need to understand about school publishers is that they put lots of money into developing textbooks that they hope to sell all across the country. And because they need to appeal to a broad market in order to make their sales and not go bankrupt, they can’t offend anybody. So, if a state such as, oh, Texas for instance, declares it won’t acquire any textbooks that include stories about children who defy authority, well then a publisher sure as heck isn’t going to include that kind of story in its program. (Never mind that LOTS can be learned and enjoyed from stories about protagonists who misbehave and make mistakes. Luckily we have awesome librarians to direct kids to those books.) This corporate culture of self-censorship ran counter to my often contrary, somewhat rebellious, nature. And that is where the story of my story begins...

As it happened, I was in this big important publishing meeting where experts were discussing the kinds of stories we should commission. I recall something about well-behaved children who always wear their bicycle helmets and gleefully eat peas…no kidding. Two thoughts went through my mind:

1. What if a REAL child walked into this room right now? These people wouldn’t know what to do with her (especially if she were my cousin’s three-year-old daughter, who was going through her eschewing-any-and-all-clothing phase).

2. What if I jumped up onto the conference table right now and danced in my underpants?

But neither of these things happened. What happened was that I quietly nibbled a dried-up lemon danish and nodded politely while a little girl named Lily McBloom wandered into my thoughts. And she started doing everything that the children in the textbook stories weren’t supposed to do. Then, when the meeting was over, I went back to my desk and wrote the story’s first lines.

Way to go for following your heart! What was the most exciting part of the publication process for you after that?

I guess for me it was when Underpants Dance was finally released. The publication of my first book was a LOOOOOOOOONG process. It was delayed a bunch of times. I think it took about a decade from beginning to end. I’m hoping the publication of my next books won’t take quite so long.

Speaking of your next books, do you have any projects in the works that you can tell us about? I hope they will be in print soon, too!

I’ve written more stories about Lily and Lily’s sister Marigold, but my publisher is waiting to see how Underpants Dance sells before committing to something like a series. This is how publishing works now. So, if you like Underpants Dance and want to see more of Lily, please spread the word!

I’m also working on a middle grade fantasy series inspired by a quote from Joseph Campbell: “There are no models in our mythology for an individual woman’s quest.” Actually, I believe that a new mythology is being created right now, in our time, by authors, storytellers, filmmakers, and especially girls and women themselves. That’s a party I can’t help but join.

If you’d like to hear more from Marlena, stay tuned for Part II of our interview. Next week we’ll be chatting about Marlena's background in movement and how she’ll be incorporating it into her author visits for Underpants Dance!

Read & Romp Roundup: May/June 2014

Welcome to the first bimonthly Read & Romp Roundup. Thanks to those of you who submitted posts this time around. I also happened to stumble across a few additional posts related to picture books and dance, so I've included those as well. Hope you enjoy the roundup!

Danielle at This Picture Book Life shares a post about the picture book Bonjour Camille, which will be released in August from Chronicle Books. Dressed in a tutu and a top hat, Camille is a little girl with a whole lot of things to do! Check out Danielle's post to learn more about these "things" and to see several bold and energetic illustrations from the book.

Atelierstorytime shares a blog post by Anna Forlati -- the illustrator of the Italian picture book Yoga Piccolo Piccolo. Translated as "Small Small Yoga," Yoga Piccolo Picollo may not be available in an English version, but the gorgeous illustrations in this blog post will speak to everyone!

At Maria's Movers, Maria explores the wordless picture book Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle, which won a Caldecott Honor in 2014. Read her post to see how she used the book in a workshop for 6-year-olds about creating new dances!

Maria was also featured in the June Book to Boogie post at the Library as Incubator Project, where she shared movement ideas to go with the picture book Here Are My Hands. A month earlier, the May Book to Boogie post featured movement ideas to go with the picture book SPLASH! by Ann Jonas.

At the Dirigible Plum, Elizabeth reviews the nonfiction picture book Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao's Last Dancer. The book tells the story of Li Cunxin, who grew up in rural China and was selected as a boy to move to Beijing to train as a ballet dancer. Interestingly, the book is written by the dancer himself. The illustrations by Anne Spudvilas, some of which you can see in Elizabeth's post, help tell his emotional story.

And last but not least, Reading Today Online shares a fun interview with Connie Schofield-Morrison and Frank Morrison -- the husband-and-wife team who created the new picture book I Got the Rhythm. They actually interview each other about creating the book. You don't want to miss it!

Read & Romp Roundup: March 2014

Welcome to the March Read & Romp Roundup! Women's History Month was celebrated widely in March, so several of the submissions feature women who have broken boundaries in the world of dance -- the African American ballerina Janet Collins and the inspiring dancer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker. And of course, no roundup would be complete without picture books and movement ideas to go with them, which are also included. Enjoy!

At Good Reads with Ronna, Rita Zobayan reviews the popular new picture book A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey and Floyd Cooper. "Inspired by the story of Janet Collins, the first African American ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream is a story of high hopes and grand dreams," says Rita. Read the full review to see why this "wonderful tale of courage, perseverance, and determination" brought tears to her eyes.

Kidlit Celebrates Women's History Month hosts special guest blogger Kristy Dempsey -- the author of A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream. What a treat! Hear from the author herself about her inspiration and experience writing the book. "A Dance Like Starlight is my song of thanks to all the women throughout history who have shown us who we can be and have given us an example to pursue our dreams with passion," Kristy says.

At Booktalking #Kidlit, Anastasia Suen features the new picture book Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby and Christian Robinson. Josephine struggled in her early life but became a celebrated dancer and performer after moving from the United States to Paris in the 1920's. Anastasia's post includes a snippet of text from the book, which is written in free verse. It also includes a book trailer and plenty of examples of the book's illustrations, which are stunning.

Maria from Maria's Movers shares some creative activities to go with the picture book The Squiggle by Carole Lexa Schaefer and Pierr Morgan. With her younger students, Maria used long colorful strings (as squiggles) to explore some of the ideas from the book, and with her older students she made up string dances!

And finally, don't forget to check out the March Book to Boogie post at the Library as Incubator Project. Dance educator Liz Vacco shares movement ideas to go with the classic picture book Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh. She includes ideas for both younger and older students and recommends music to go with the movement!

Read & Romp Roundup: February 2014

Welcome to the February Read & Romp Roundup! As usual, we have a nice mix of submissions this month, including some poetry. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the reading -- which will hopefully lead to some romping as well!

Amy at Picture-Book-a-Day is back to share a short review of the new picture book A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey and Floyd Cooper. The book is set in the 1950's and tells the story of a fictional African-American girl who sees the first "colored" prima ballerina --Janet Collins -- perform. The review is part of a roundup that includes some other recent picture books:  Don't Play with Your Food, Mr. Flux, and Yellow is My Color Star.

Amy was also featured in the February Book to Boogie post at The Library as Incubator Project. In her post, she summarizes the picture book Move! by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins and describes her ideas for using it to inspire movement during library story time.

Elly at Yoga & Creative Movement with Elly suggests retelling the classic picture book Fortunately (by Remy Charlip) through movement games and yoga poses. She also suggests having kids tell, act out, or write their own story in a "fortunately…unfortunately" format. Check out her post for all the details!

Kathleen at Wild Things Yoga is a kindred spirit with a love for picture books and movement, especially yoga. This month she shares a lesson plan -- a shorter version for preschoolers and kindergartners and a longer version for first and second graders -- for combining yoga with the picture book The Leopard's Drum by Jessica Souhami. The book, which is a West African tale about a leopard who doesn't want to share a huge drum he makes, also lends itself to discussions about fairness and problem solving.

And last but not least, two guest dance educators join Maria's Movers to share their experiences using different kinds of poetry in their creative movement classes. Becca Beck and Kerry Bevens discuss building dances around poems, using poems as warm-ups, exploring nursery rhymes in class, and more!

Dream Big with Skate Dance Dream!

Photo courtesy of Sara Thellman

The U.S. figure skating team has been doing a fabulous job at the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, most recently taking home the gold medal in the ice dancing competition. Not surprisingly, figure skating is one of my favorite sports to watch, probably because it has so much in common with dance. Parker Pennington, a former U.S. figure skating champion, thinks so too. “I find them both to be very artistic and athletic,” he told me during a recent interview.

The reason I was interviewing Parker is because he is the founder and executive producer of Skate Dance Dream -- a unique live performance show that fuses figure skating and dance. Parker is a huge fan of the television show So You Think You Can Dance, and two of the past performers on the show -- Sara Von Gillern and Gev Manoukian -- had backgrounds in figure skating. This gave Parker the idea of combining the two art forms into a single performance in which stars team up with young up-and-coming artists.

Skate Dance Dream is also unique in that it caters to the different locations where the performances take place. At each location, about 100 young skaters and dancers from that particular region are cast. The stars, who are finalists from So You Think You Can Dance and Olympic and World Class figure skaters, also change from show to show depending on the locations.

Photo courtesy of Allen Clark Photography

“So you could see break dancers or ballerinas, or you could see a comedy act on ice. You could catch people back flipping or sliding on their heads across the ice,” says Parker. “We are always trying to keep things fresh and innovative while serving to inspire the performance arts community as a whole.”

Skate Dance Dream is a wonderful opportunity for young dancers and skaters who are following their dreams. It actually reminds me of two recent picture books written by another figure skating champion -- Kristi Yamaguchi -- with illustrations by Tim Bowers. The first book, called Dream Big Little Pig!, is about a pig named Poppy who wants to be a star…

“Follow your dreams!” said Poppy’s mother, who loved her no matter what. “You go girl,” said Poppy’s grandparents, who were her biggest fans. “Dream big, pig!” said Poppy’s best friend, Emma, who was always there for her.

With the support of her family and friends, Poppy tries dancing, singing, and modeling before finally realizing that figure skating is where she shines the most. In the book’s sequel, It’s a BigWorld, Little Pig!, Poppy gets to travel to Paris to compete in the World Games, where she meets new friends from around the world and continues to chase her figure skating dreams.

As someone who has chased his own dreams, Parker has some important advice for others like Poppy, whether they are pursuing figure skating or dance. “Be confident yet humble, work hard, realize you will experience ups and downs in your personal journey, listen to your coaches and teachers, and push yourself to be the best you can be,” he says. “Always come back to why you do what you do…because you love it! That passion will drive all and will help you get through anything. Last but not least, don’t forget to dream big!”

The next stops on the Skate Dance Dream tour are Mentor, Ohio, on April 12, 2014; Charleston, South Carolina, on July 19, 2014; and Dayton, Ohio, on September 6, 2014. For ticket information, to learn more about the show, or to sign youth up for auditions, visit www.skatedancedream.com. And keep dreaming big!

Flowers and Dance for Poetry Friday!

Happy Poetry Friday! I wasn't actually planning on posting today, but then my 8-year-old surprised me with a wonderful poem about flowers, which I had to share. I hope you enjoy her new poem and flower illustration as much as I do. So proud of my little poet! 

Because I also wanted to tie my post into dance, I went searching for a poem that combined flowers and dance. In doing so, I discovered the poetry of Martin Dejnicki on a website called AnitaPoems, which Martin named after his wife. Very sweet. I thought his poem about the art of ballet was just beautiful...

Flowers

Flowers are fine. They are divine.

They sprout in spring. They are king.

Flowers are sweet. They're just like a treat. 

Flowers are fun. But when they are done, 

They go back down and out of town.

Flowers are great, they're used on a date. 

I just love FLOWERS!!!!!

The Art of Ballet

Like flowers to the eyes, 

the art of ballet, 

and petals in the wind, 

what an exquisite display.

Grace with beauty, 

each movement conveys.

Branches of strength, 

rain's thunderous praise.

Behind every flower, 

a story resides.

Bending in the wind, 

with purpose it guides.

The music of sight, 

we emotionally feel.

Just like the waves, 

there's nothing more real.

Every new pose,

like a voice is unique.

Deep in our hearts,

attempting to speak.

Like flowers to the eyes, 

the art of ballet,

With the extinction of wind,

still hoping to sway.

@Martin Dejnicki

From www.anitapoems.com

Deborah Diesen has also written a poem that combines flowers -- daffodils to be exact -- and dance. It's been shared on Poetry Friday before, but in case you missed it, you can find it here on Renee LaTulippe's blog No Water River. For even more poetry fun, check out today's Poetry Friday roundup on Today's Little Ditty. 

Picture Book Giveaway: The Museum!

Today's a special day for me in the blogosphere. I'm organizing a monthly blog series for the Library as Incubator Project, and today's the first post! The series is called "Book to Boogie," and it's all about pairing picture books with dance and movement activities for library story time. The bloggers besides myself who are participating in the series are Jayne Gammons, Maria Hanley, Jill Homan Randall, Amy Seto Musser, and Liz Vacco. I'm so excited!!

To celebrate the launch of the series, I'm giving away a copy of the first book we're highlighting -- The Museum -- signed by debut author Susan Verde! To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post by 11:59 EST on Wednesday, June 18th, and I'll use random.org to pick a winner.

Although it's not required, I do hope you will stop by the Library as Incubator Project to learn more about The Museum and ideas for incorporating it into movement-based story time. It's a delightful book in so many ways, including its art and movement themes and its gorgeous illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds.

Good luck, and thanks for celebrating with me!

Few Words to Describe Flora and the Flamingo

I've actually been tweeting and posting on my Facebook page for a while about the new wordless, lift-the-flap picture book Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle. But, in case you missed all those posts, I'm going to blog about it, too. I finally got my hands on a copy of the book, courtesy of publisher Chronicle Books, and didn't want to miss this opportunity to mention it some more!

In the spirit of the wordlessness of the book, I've decided to summarize it in as few words as possible...

A little girl. A flamingo. Dance. Friendship. Fabulous!

But, if that is not enough and you must know more, I've included the book trailer (which is also wordless but set to classical music), followed by links to posts by other people about the book. So you can take their words for just how fabulous it really is!

Book Trailer

Book Reviews

A Fuse #8 Production (Betsy Bird)

Playing by the Book (Zoe Toft)

Sharpread (Colby Sharp)

There's a Book (Danielle Smith)

Interviews with Molly Idle

School Library Journal (Rick Margolis)

Watch. Connect. Read (John Schu)

Read & Romp Roundup -- August 2012

August was a busy month for many of us. Teachers were getting lesson plans together. Parents were preparing kids for the new school year. Kids were trying to remember what it's like to be on a regular schedule -- or, at least my kids were! And, hopefully, all of us were reading lots of great books. Speaking of great books, the August Read & Romp Roundup is full of them. Thanks to everyone who submitted!

At OMazing Kids, Angela shares a comprehensive list of children's yoga, wellness, mindfulness, and relaxation products. The list includes resource books for teachers, DVDs, coloring pages, workbooks, and of course plenty of picture books!

Maria from Maria's Movers uses the picture book Who Likes Rain? with her 4- to 5-year-old dance students. Read how they use the sounds from the book -- like "gurgle," "whoosh," and "KER-SPLAT!" -- to come up with their own dance!

Once again Amy at Picture-Book-A-Day reviewed two dance books over the last month! The first is Tanya and Emily in a Dance for Two by Patricia Lee Gauch and Satomi Ichikawa. Although Tanya and Emily have very different dance styles, they learn to dance together both inside and outside of dance class. Also find out what activities Amy would pair with the book!

Amy also reviews DANCE by dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones and photographer Susan Kuklin. First she describes the book, which shows how dance can be used to convey a variety of emotions, shapes, and ideas. Then she provides plenty of ways the book can be used to spark interesting discussions with children about dance!

Educator Mariah Bruehl is the founder of a blog I discovered the other day. It's called Playful Learning, created "to help parents support their children's learning and development." This guest post by Monique Barker shows how storytelling can be used to introduce kids to yoga!

Join the August Read & Romp Roundup!

Do you have a recent (or even not so recent) blog post that involves picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or another form of movement? If so, or if you're planning to write such a post, then you've come to the right place!

This is the official call for submissions to the August Read & Romp Roundup. Just leave a link to your post in the comments below, and I'll include it in the next roundup.  If you're new here or aren't familiar with the roundups, you can read some of the old ones here. Looking forward to hearing your new ideas!

Submissions are open until Friday, August 31, 2012.

Join the July Read & Romp Roundup!

Is it really the middle of July already? Time is flying by! I had so many ideas for posting this month, and I haven't gotten around to any of them yet! But... I at least can't let my monthly roundup pass by.

This is the official call for submissions for the July Read & Romp Roundup. If you have a recent (or even not so recent) blog post that involves picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or another form of movement, leave your link in a comment on this post.

Maybe you read a picture book about yoga that you'd like to share. Or maybe you read a poem that made your students want to get up and dance. All ideas are welcome! I'll round up all the links and post about them together in a few weeks. Can't wait to hear from you!

Submissions are open until Monday, July 30, 2012. 

Read & Romp Roundup -- January 2012

Here, finally, is the Read & Romp Roundup for January 2012. I was thrilled with the response to my first call for submissions and think we have a great and diverse roundup here. Just what I was hoping for! We have picture books with themes of rhythm and dance, unique ideas for incorporating poetry and picture books into dance and yoga classes, and even a birthday celebration for a beloved author who writes about dance. Hope you enjoy the inaugural roundup!

Amy at Delightful Children's Books shares a list of 10 children's books that entertain, inform, inspire, and broaden children's understanding of dance. Amy also created a YouTube playlist to go along with her post, including performances by Fred Astaire, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and more. 

Wait until you see what Eric from Happy Birthday Author did to celebrate author Katherine Holabird's birthday with his three children. It involves a book about Angelina Ballerina, a dance studio, and you guessed it...dancing! 

Nicola at Nic's Barefoot Books Edinburg has resolved to review more books on her blog this year! Well, here is her first review of the year--a post on the popular picture book My Daddy is a Pretzel. I've always been curious about this book so loved reading Nic's review. I also enjoyed seeing photos of Nic and her three girls trying out yoga poses from the book!

Speaking of yoga, Angela from OMazing Kids Yoga also joined our roundup this month. Here she reviews the picture book Not a Box and shares a lesson plan for using the book with young yogis. Who knew this simple book about a rabbit and a box could inspire so many yoga poses!

Meg at Dancepulse is a full-time dance specialist in a public elementary school. Awesome! This month she shares a lesson plan for her fifth graders. Based on the poem "Dream Variations" by Langston Hughes, her lesson includes a reading of the stunning poem, an improvisational warm-up, and small-group choreography inspired by words and images from the poem. 

At Access Dance for Life, Jacqui uses the book Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert to share healthy messages about food with her preschool dancers. Find out how the artwork in the book can inspire an exploration of the shapes, colors, and textures of different fruits and vegetables!

Another alphabet book illustrated by Lois Ehlert is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, which Liz at Children's Books to Love says "is possibly the most fun alphabet book on the market today." In her review, Liz mentions how fun it is to read, sing to, and chant to the book. I bet it would be fun to dance to it, too!

Maria from Maria's Movers describes how she uses the book We're Going on a Bear Hunt with her young creative movers. See how she uses a cone, a rope, and a hula hoop to explore her students' understanding of three common words from the book: over, under, and through!

Cheryl at Madhouse Family Reviews discusses the new book Dance Together Dinosaurs, which is loosely based on the British television show Strictly Come Dancing (the precursor to Dancing with the Stars in the United States). Although Cheryl gives the book a mixed review, she says she can't help dancing along when she reads it. See what you think!