A fun, kid-friendly history of one of humanity’s most enduring forms of expression.
This slim, illustrated volume for young readers details the lives of 12 dancers from around the world and across the centuries and teaches readers how to create works in their individual styles.
Dance is a universal art form; yet while nearly all cultures practice it, very few do so in the same way. In this brief history, six male and six female dancers are profiled for their different contributions to the art. Beginning with France’s King Louis XIV, an avid ballet dancer who founded the Royal Academy of Dance, the book tells the stories of such diverse luminaries as William Henry “Juba” Lane, possibly the first professional African-American dancer and a favorite performer of Charles Dickens; Anna Pavlova, the Russian ballerina who appeared around the world and became a household name; and Michio Ito, a Japanese dancer who sought to unite Eastern and Western styles but couldn’t avoid being deported from his adopted country during World War II. At the end of each lavishly illustrated chapter, readers are given prompts to help them choreograph their own works in each dancer’s unique style; one can experiment with the signature floating jumps of ballerina Marie Taglioni, the expressive use of eyes in the traditional Indian dance of Mrinalini Sarabhai, and the storytelling in the Mexican folk dance of Amalia Hernández. Dunkin (Dancing in Your School: A Guide for Preschool and Elementary School Teachers, 2006) is a longtime dance educator, and her experience comes through in her clear and easy-to-follow choreographic instructions at the end of each chapter. Her prompts—by far the best thing about the book—guide readers through each step of the different dance styles while also leaving plenty of room for creative interpretation. Active young readers and students of the art form should love getting the opportunity to try out everything from courtly French ballet to American modern dance and beyond, discovering which styles best suit their own personalities without feeling stifled in the way that one often can be by traditional dance classes.
A fun, kid-friendly history of one of humanity’s most enduring forms of expression.Pub Date: March 30, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5088-5902-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
A winner.
The trials of a high school basketball team trying to clinch the state title and the graphic novelist chronicling them.
The Dragons, Bishop O’Dowd High School’s basketball team, have a promising lineup of players united by the same goal. Backed by Coach Lou Richie, an alumnus himself, this could be the season the Oakland, California, private Catholic school breaks their record. While Yang (Team Avatar Tales, 2019, etc.), a math teacher and former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, is not particularly sporty, he is intrigued by the potential of this story and decides to focus his next graphic novel on the team’s ninth bid for the state championship. Yang seamlessly blends a portrait of the Dragons with the international history of basketball while also tying in his own career arc as a graphic novelist as he tries to balance family, teaching, and comics. Some panels directly address the creative process, such as those depicting an interaction between Yang and a Punjabi student regarding the way small visual details cue ethnicity in different ways. This creative combination of memoir and reportage elicits questions of storytelling, memory, and creative liberty as well as addressing issues of equity and race. The full-color illustrations are varied in layout, effectively conveying intense emotion and heart-stopping action on the court. Yang is Chinese American, Richie is black, and there is significant diversity among the team members.
A winner. (notes, bibliography) (Graphic nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62672-079-4
Page Count: 448
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A vibrant read about the connections between fashion, culture, and social justice.
A celebration of clothing, cultural pride, and fashion activists.
Have you ever wondered why we don’t usually see high heels in men’s sizes? Do you remember when darker shades of makeup finally became easier to find? Are you curious about Muslim fashionistas? This book is for anyone who wants to explore the ways in which clothes, hairstyles, makeup, hats, and other sartorial decisions communicate who we are to the world. A person’s style can be powerful, as it enables the wearer to make a statement, giving them the opportunity to express cultural confidence, body positivity, and self-acceptance. Allaire (Ojibwe), a Vogue fashion and style writer from the Nipissing First Nation Reserve in Ontario, celebrates the way diversity is changing the world of fashion. Beginning with an introduction about the importance of representation, the author transports his readers to a place of pride. His writing questions norms and encourages young people to resist the status quo and not allow others to limit their creative expression. With sections dedicated to natural Black hair, gender nonconformity, cosplayers, Indigenous designers, and more, he brings fashion colorfully to life with photographs and history lessons. The book is made stronger by personal touches, for example passages about the ribbon shirt made by his mother and aunts that honored his Ojibwe culture and ancestors.
A vibrant read about the connections between fashion, culture, and social justice. (index, further reading, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77321-490-0
Page Count: 100
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
