As the year draws to a close, it’s a great moment to catch up on children’s books that came out this year, and maybe a title or two you might have missed in 2023. Here are 10 powerful and inspiring stories to share with your young dancers at the studio or in class.
Why We Dance: A Story of Hope and Healing (by Deidre Havrelock and Aly McKnight) and Dance Fast (by AR Cribbins) both explore Indigenous dance forms in North America with a young dancer preparing for a ceremony. Why We Dance tells the story of a young girl getting ready for the jingle dance—preparing her attire, hair, and jewelry. She is nervous but focuses on the community and the healing purpose of the dance. AR Cribbins’ Dance Fast is about a young girl who is preparing for a Pomo ceremony. She wants to make her own outfit and headpiece but struggles with some mistakes along the way. Her grandmother reassures her that imperfections are celebrated.
In Cesaria Feels the Beat (by Denise Rosario Adusei and Priscila Soares) and Mighty Mara (by Carina Ho, Jesse Byrd, and Mónica Paola Rodriguez), characters with disabilities are foregrounded.
In Cesaria Feels the Beat, Cesaria, a deaf dancer, is getting ready for her group to perform at a Carnival. They are all wearing peacock costumes, and the director insists that they wear shoes in the performance, but the shoes prevent Cesaria from feeling the beat of the music. It takes a little effort, but she gets the whole group to kick off their shoes, feel the beat, and still perform for the crowd—with her as an integral member of the ensemble. It is a story of empathy and understanding.
In Mighty Mara, the school talent show is coming up where most of the kids will be doing magic tricks, but Mara, a dancer who uses a manual wheelchair, is excited to display her dance skills. People act hesitant, but she pulls it off beautifully. For much of the book, the illustrations only partially show Mara’s body, so the detail of her wheelchair is not fully displayed until the night of the talent show. Mara shines onstage, wows the crowd, and accomplishes her goal. Mighty Mara is a wonderful story of determination, confidence, and expression.
Pairing nicely with the subject of talent shows, The Trophy Trap: Unleash Your Inner Winner uses animal characters to tackle the ideas of winning, trophies, and figuring out what might be more important in life (like learning, fun, love). Chasta Hamilton is the author of multiple books for dance educators, including Trash the Trophies: How to Win Without Losing Your Soul, and this picture book, with art by Annie Wilkinson, is her first. It looks at the topic more broadly than just dance, but the core messaging is a must for dance studios and young learners ages 5 to 7.
Animal characters also help convey a dance story in Ready Set Dance, by the prolific Once Upon a Dance business. For young dancers ages 3 through 5, animals help share the story of going to a first class and what to expect in the studio space, attire, and class activities. The use of the animals, which include a chicken and a frog, creates levity and a sense of playfulness.
Likewise, Bella Ballerina (by Sharon M. Draper and Ebony Glenn) shows a dance class and students preparing for a performance. Ballet vocabulary is sprinkled throughout the pages, and joy and delight shine through both the text and illustrations.
From the Instagram sensation Brown Girls Do Ballet, TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian and JaNay Brown-Wood created a stunning children’s book with photos and empowering, poetic text. Brown Girls Do Ballet: Celebrating Diverse Girls Taking Center Stage spotlights young dancers of color and is an essential read for dancers in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. Alongside this book, you can also check out Jennifer Jones’ On the Line: My Story of Becoming the First African American Rockette, co-written with Lissette Norman, with illustrations by Robert Paul Jr. Jones offers a window into her childhood, including her love of dancing, but also reveals the barriers and doubt she experienced along the way. In 1987, Jones made history as the first African American Rockette.
And finally, Falling Into Dance, a small chapter book for dancers ages 8 and up from the creators of Once Upon a Dance, shares the world of training and learning, playing off of the idea of falling, learning how to fall, and making mistakes and recovering. Devoted students will enjoy the playful exploration of learning and resiliency in a dance class.
Happy reading with the young dancers in your life!
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