LEOPOLD'S LEOTARD

How far can one little boy go to dance completely free of all restraints?

Young Leopold loves to dance. In a line of nicely diverse children, this little brown-skinned boy alone hears the beat. In dance class, he dreams of performing as an ostrich. Alas, the year-end recital will feature “buzzing bumblebees.” Hopefully, for Leopold, this means they can “come out of a giant hive.” Leopold practices, but then a scowl hits his face as he holds his costume, a black-and-yellow–striped leotard. The scowl remains as Leopold and the other children wait backstage. His costume annoys him, and the performance comes apart. Actually, it is the costume that comes off, piece by piece, until it is all cast away. Now he is free to dance to his inner spirit. (The reading audience sees him only in views that avoid full-frontal exposure.) An exuberant solo follows. Confetti that has strategically fallen protects Leopold and/or readers at the curtain call. In a concluding note, the author acknowledges that bumblebees live in nests, not hives, and includes some facts about them. The bright, delicate illustrations portray a very free-spirited (and self-absorbed) boy as well as the varying moods and amusing reactions of his fellow dancers. Whether or not Leopold can be viewed as a role model for aspiring dancers is open to discussion, however.

A most unusual and revealing dance recital for little performers.