DANCE WITH ME

“Shake, shake, shake it, baby! / Come and dance with me!” Two children travel through their neighborhood, preparing for a party; as they go, they invite both readers and everyone they meet to join in the fun. Jones creates a welcoming urban landscape Keats’s Peter would recognize in color, shape and zest, peopling it with a diverse cast of humans and animals who all end up obligingly wiggling, moving and bouncing along with the main characters. The use of repetitive, highly chantable wording engages this book’s very young audience, supporting language development even as it encourages them to throw their whole bodies into the experience of reading it. The book may be shared equally well with large and small groups, making it an apt choice for storytimes and creative play. (Picture book. 2-5)