Let's dance by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Maine Diaz

The endpages of this new dancing book are covered in all kinds of different dancing shoes, from cowboy boots to toe shoes. Each spread shows a different dance, from a different country, all demonstrated by a variety of dancers, including a boogie dancer in a wheelchair. The text is brief and simple, "Boogie down/to the ground/Up on toes/strike a pose/leap high/fly, fly, fly" covers two spreads. The first shows boogie dancers in a disco, the second ballet dancers (one in a hijab) floating across a colorful background.

The art is colorful with a smooth, animation-like finish. At the end of the book, there is a brief sentence giving the name and origin of each dance; "African-American youth created Breakdancing. Breakdancers can do amazing stunts, like handstands and headspins!"

When kids ask me for books about dancing, they're usually girls wanting ballet books. However, I am also in the process of collecting books that encourage movement and work well in a storytime context. My staff are now in charge of our winter movement series, Winter Wigglers, and more movement-based books are always useful. This is a friendly introduction to many different kinds of dances for young children, perfect for preschool and kindergarten storytimes and movement programs. One-on-one readers can encourage listeners to match the shoes to each dance and if you have a little extra time you can expand the book into a series, trying out a different dance each time. Don't forget the fun dress-up clothes!

Verdict: If you're in on the trend of movement in libraries, this is a great introduction to familiar and unfamiliar dances (depending on your community's makeup) and will get kids leaping, wiggling, jingling, and dancing. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781635921427; Published March 2020 by Boyds Mills Press; E-ARC provided by author; Purchased for the library