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A forum for sharing picture books about dance

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1. Join the April Read & Romp Roundup!

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 4/19/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Read and Romp Roundup, Picture Books about Dance, Dance, Poetry about Dance, Picture Books, Add a tag

We had such a great Read & Romp Roundup last month. Let's make April just as great! If you have a recent (or even not so recent) blog post that involves picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or another form of movement, leave a link to your post in the comments below. I'll gather up all of the links and summarize them in a new post in a few weeks. If you're new here or aren't familiar with the roundup, you can read some of the old ones here. Can't wait to hear all of your ideas!

Submissions are open until Tuesday, April 30, 2012.

6 Comments on Join the April Read & Romp Roundup!, last added: 5/2/2013

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2. Paint Me a Poem: Poetry and Art...Plus Dance!

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 4/19/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: National Poetry Month, Justine Rowden, National Gallery of Art, Poetry Friday, Poems Inspired by Masterpieces of Art, Boyds Mills Press, Poetry, Paint Me a Poem, Add a tag

Since April is National Poetry Month and today is also Poetry Friday, I didn't want to miss the chance to post some more dance-related poems by my new friend Justine Rowden -- this time from her book Paint Me a Poem: Poems Inspired by Masterpieces of Art.

A few years ago, Justine worked at the National Portrait Gallery and noticed that a lot of people had no reaction at all when they stood in front of a painting they didn't know. "I felt my first endeavor ought to be a book that proposes a way to look at any painting and find the spark, the joy, in that work," she says. "Forget historical references. Look for the passion in the art!"

Justine chose 14 paintings from the National Gallery of Art, painted by a variety of American and European artists who lived as early as the 1600s, and created poems to go along with them. "Each poem suggests just one possible way to look at that painting in a new way," she says. Here are a couple of my favorites, which both reflect Justine's love of dance. Yes, she is a kindred spirit!

Dancin'

Green Plums by Joseph Decker, c. 1885.
Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

Green plums rolling
Yeah! rockin' and rollin'

Out of their box

Onto the stage

Ready to swing their stems,

Moving in rhythm

To a juicy tune.

The beat, it gets to them--

Swaying side to side,

They go even faster

Until finger-snapping hands

Put them back in their box.

Moving White Fluffs

Meadow by Alfred Sisley, 1875.
Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

The sky is full

Of fuzzy white polka dots.

As they move on,

Do you think

Those dots are really

Dancing the polka

While they drift away?

Doing the polka

Takes time to learn

And where could they

Hear the music

To get the dance just right?

So, maybe it's not

The polka at all they're doing.

Maybe it's just a slow glide

They make up

As they go along.

Then why do you suppose

They call them "Polka dots" --

Those funny white fluffs

In the blue, blue sky?

Beautiful poems, right? So what does Justine hope that children will take away from the book? "I would like to think that children will look at the paintings, really connecting with the art, and perhaps even write original poems about the paintings themselves!"she says. I hope that some adults have that reaction, too!

Find out more about Paint Me a Poem at www.paintmeapoem.com. It's a really nice site that lets you get to Justine a little better an provides some more sneak peeks into the book. Irene Latham at Live Your Poem is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup today, so you will find more poetry for children and adults there, too!

4 Comments on Paint Me a Poem: Poetry and Art...Plus Dance!, last added: 5/6/2013

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3. Read & Romp Roundup -- March 2013

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 4/15/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Read and Romp Roundup, Picture Books for Yoga Class, Spring, Picture Books for Dance Class, Poems for Creative Movement, Add a tag

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the roundup in March. I think this is our largest one yet! Once again we have a great mix of dance, yoga, and general movement submissions...plus a poem! There's a little something for everyone, so I hope you enjoy hopping around to read the different posts.

At Playing by the Book, Zoe has embraced the color pink and made the wordless picture book Flora and the Flamingo a family affair! Read her post to learn more about this new book by Molly Idle. You can also see how Zoe and her two daughters celebrated its dance-related story of friendship and found some creative activities to go along with the book.

Early childhood dance educator Becca Beck shares the poem "The Goldilocks Song," which is perfect for incorporating into creative movement and pre-ballet classes...or for enjoying at home! Hear how she uses it to explore the concept of making shapes bigger and smaller with her students.

Gail at Yoga Kiddos with Gailee tells us how she uses the picture book Z is for Moose, by Kelly Bingham and Paul O. Zelinksi, in her yoga classes for kids. The funny alphabet book, which involves a fame-hungry moose who will do anything to be included in the book, lends itself well to acting out yoga animal poses.

Amy from Picture-Book-a-Day is back with a review of Ellen Stoll Walsh's Hop Jump. Read her post to learn more about this picture book about a frog who gets bored of hopping and jumping and decides to add dance to her repertoire. As usual, Amy is also full of creative ideas to go along with the book, including making origami hopping frogs!

At OMazing Kids, Angela shares a Dr. Seuss alphabet extravaganza for kid's yoga and early literacy. Her post is packed full of yoga, literacy, music, art, prop, and game ideas to go along with book Dr. Seuss's ABC. Because Angela is a huge fan of Dr. Seuss, she also includes links to other posts that combine his books with yoga.

In a second post at OMazing Kids, Angela uses the classic Eric Carle book The Very Hungry Caterpillar to celebrate the start of spring. Her full lesson plan -- including yoga poses, a music playlist, and a mindfulness activity with real fruit -- are all included!

Reshama from Stacking Books reviews the picture book Goal! by Mina Javaherbin and A.G. Ford. With kicking, dribbling, and running, this book is full of movement! Set in South Africa, the book is also a good introduction to a different culture and to the concept of bullying.

The new dance, craft, and storybook Crafterina has a blog! This post provides an introduction to Crafterina and provides guidance on how to best take advantage of all aspects of the book. You can also learn more at www.crafterina.com.

At ABCs of Reading, Jayne uses the picture book Cindy Moo by Lori Mortensen and Jack Mack to teach the comprehension strategy of questioning and to get kids "moo-ving." Inspired by the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle," Cindy Moo sets out to show her friends that cows really can jump over the moon. Read Jayne's post for her movement ideas!

Author and dance educator Connie Bergstein Dow contributes to the blog PreK + K Sharing, where she has created a carrot seed dance story based on the classic book The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson. Learn more about Connie, who regularly uses movement as a learning tool, at movingislearning.com.

6 Comments on Read & Romp Roundup -- March 2013, last added: 4/17/2013

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4. Poetry Friday: Curtsy by Justine Rowden

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 4/12/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Curtsy, Justine Rowden, Cherry Blossoms, Poetry Friday, Add a tag

I recently had the pleasure of meeting poet Justine Rowden for coffee outside of Washington, DC, where we had a lovely chat about her picture book Paint Me a Poem: Poems Inspired by Masterpieces of Art. I'm not going to tell you about the book just yet, as I'm saving it for a little later this month. But I am going to share another of Justine's poems that happens to be about cherry blossoms, which are in full bloom right now in this part of the country. I love how Justine compares the beauty of the cherry blossoms to that of ballerinas.

When you're done reading the poem, waltz on over to Random Noodling if you are in the mood for more. Happy Poetry Friday!

Curtsy

By Justine Rowden

The cherry blossoms,

Floating in arabesque

Descend gracefully on stage

Of painterly gray flagstone.

Bowing in curtsy,

The petals, delicate folds

Of dancers' skirts

Pose, remain there

Attentive to the wind's applause.

9 Comments on Poetry Friday: Curtsy by Justine Rowden, last added: 4/17/2013

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5. Are You Having a Polar Bear Morning?

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 4/1/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Friendship, Follow the Leader, Stephen Savage, Maria's Movers, Polar Bear Night, Polar Bear Morning, Lauren Thompson, Picture Books for Dance Class, Add a tag

Read It. Move It. Share It.
Each month I recommend a picture book for dance educator Maria Hanley to use in her creative movement classes in New York, and then we both share our experiences with the book. Polar Bear Morning by Lauren Thompson and Stephen Savage was our March pick. Read more about it here, and then hop over to Maria's Movers to see how Maria used the book with her students!

We don't get much snow where I live, but we did happen to have the most beautiful snow of the season just a couple weeks ago. I was initially worried about choosing another wintery book for my monthly collaboration with Maria, but I'm not feeling so bad anymore since so many of us had our fair share of cold "polar bear" mornings in March.

Polar Bear Morning, written by Lauren Thompson with pictures by Stephen Savage, was published in January of this year by Scholastic Press. In the spirit of winter, the book's text is quite "cool" and calming, as is the color palette of gray, blue, and white with an occasional splash of orange, brown, or red.

The book's theme and structure remind me in some ways of the picture book Fluff and Billy, which Maria and I featured on our blogs in February. Both books are about friendship -- the friendship of two penguins in Fluff and Billy and of two polar bear cubs in Polar Bear Morning. Both also involve some follow-the-leader behavior as the sets of friends scamper and play in the snow.

The language in the two books, however, is very different. Fluff and Billy is told in a very direct way, with few words. Polar Bear Morning provides much more description, detail, and imagery...

The morning is chill and bright.

From her cozy den, a polar bear cub peeks out

at the snow and ice and clear blue sky.

The little bear hears the seagull's faraway call.

She sees the sparkling snow.

She clambers out into the day.

The imagery in the book is what makes it a good choice for creative movement in my mind. Even in the opening lines, words like "cozy" and "sparkling" and "clambers" make me want to move in new and interesting ways. I hope they inspire others to move in new ways, too. I realize that small children might not know the meaning of words like "clamber" yet, but it's never to early to learn, right?

Another element of the book that might inspire movement is the reappearance of the seagulls, which are introduced in the book's opening lines. The gulls "call" out several times during the book, almost like they are asking the bear cubs to follow them. This makes me think that it would be fun to experiment with different sounds and how students respond to them in movement. In other words, what do the different sounds ask them to do?

In many ways the book also lends itself well to partner dances. As I mentioned earlier, the polar bears do a lot of movements using a follow-the-leader format. But the illustrations also show them doing some movements together, especially at the end of the book when they really solidify their friendship.

So many options for this book! Let's find out here which one Maria chose. And if you like Polar Bear Morning, you should also check out its award-winning companion Polar Bear Night -- another great choice for a creative movement class!

2 Comments on Are You Having a Polar Bear Morning?, last added: 4/11/2013

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6. Join the March Read & Romp Roundup

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 3/17/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Read and Romp Roundup, Picture Books and Yoga, Picture Books and Movement, Picture Books and Dance, Add a tag

Today I'm going to get right to business with the official call for submissions to the March Read & Romp Roundup! If you have a recent (or even not so recent) blog post that involves picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or another form of movement, leave a link to your post in the comments below. I'll gather up all of the links and summarize them in a new post in a few weeks. If you're new here or aren't familiar with the roundup, you can read some of the old ones here. Can't wait to hear all of your ideas!

Submissions are open until Saturday, March 30, 2012.

16 Comments on Join the March Read & Romp Roundup, last added: 4/8/2013

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Gaileee, Yoga Teacher~ E-RYT, Get Fit Where You Si said, on 3/18/2013 5:38:00 AM

Not sure how to submit a book, but I just finished using "Z is for Moose" and it was delightful!

Here is what I wrote on Amazon for a review.

Z is for Moose - a great book to use for Kids Yoga!, March 16, 2013
By
Gail PickensBarger "Gail Pickens-Barger, E-RYT" (Beaumont, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Z Is for Moose (Hardcover)
Z is for Moose. Great book to use with Kids Yoga! This ABC book to use in reading the story out loud, then acting out the A, B, C animals in the book with yoga poses. It's great when moose tries to take over the other letters, and has great humor it the story line. I supplemented the book/storytelling with ABC Yoga for Kids Card deck, so that we could further act out animal poses for the letters. For example, the letter U, is Umbrella in the book, but I had the kiddos pick out cards from my yoga deck, and instead of acting out Umbrella, we acted out Unicorn instead. Worked very well for ages 4 - 12.

YogaKiddos with Gaileee [...]

Kerry Aradhya said, on 3/21/2013 7:25:00 PM

Hi, Gail. Thanks so much for stopping by. I just saw that you posted about Z is for Moose on one of your blogs, and I was so happy to see it! I will definitely include your post in the roundup. I'm actually going to meet Paul O. Zelinski, who illustrated the book, at a writing conference this weekend. I'm super excited!

Amy Seto Musser said, on 3/21/2013 8:25:00 PM

Hi Kerry-

I miss taking part in your round ups now that I'm focusing on chapter books! So I went through my early Picture-Book-a-Day posts and found two reviews I don't think I put into one of your round ups. :)

http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-21-hop-jump-by-ellen-stoll-walsh.html

http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-24-brontorina-by-james-howe.html

Gaileee, Yoga Teacher~ E-RYT, Get Fit Where You Si said, on 3/21/2013 8:27:00 PM

Well, that is really exciting!
The kiddos, grandkiddos, parents and grandparents really enjoyed the family yoga class that I did with this story book. The kids kept on the lookout for moose, and were really surprized with the M for mouse selection. And the had empathy for the moose when he was sad. The writing and the illustration worked very well together.

How do these authors and illustrators team up so well? How do they storyboard to each other? I'm very curious about the process. Thanks!

Gail Pickens-Barger

Gaileee, Yoga Teacher~ E-RYT, Get Fit Where You Si said, on 3/21/2013 8:30:00 PM

Thanks! The family yoga participants really enjoyed the book. Especially when they were expecting M for Moose and got M for Mouse. The kiddos really had empathy for the moose, when he didn't get letter M, and were hunting the rest of the pictures for the Moose reaction.

The writing and illustrations really complemented each other. I'm curious how the writers and illustrators story board each other, and this whole process of creating a childrens (and now, Yoga story book) book.

I used to work weekends at an independent book store in Ponca City Oklahoma, called Brace Books and More. Best bookstore you'd ever find. And you know.....I don't think I ever came home with any salary from that place.....ah....books!!

Gail Pickens-Barger

Kerry Aradhya said, on 3/22/2013 6:52:00 AM

I miss you in the roundups, too, Amy! If you want, I can include one of these in the March roundup and one in the April roundup....so you can be involved in both :) I love Brontorina, by the way. Haven't read your Ellen Stoll Walsh selection yet, though!

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2 said, on 3/23/2013 10:50:00 AM

Hi Kerry - I'd love to share The Very Hungry Caterpillar: http://omazingkidsllc.com/2013/03/02/celebrate-the-very-hungry-caterpillar-day-with-kids-yoga/. Love all of your posts & the roundup!

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2 said, on 3/23/2013 10:58:00 AM

I also have one for Dr. Seuss' ABC's: http://omazingkidsllc.com/2013/02/21/big-a-little-a-a-dr-seuss-abcs-alphabet-extravaganza-kids-yoga-early-literacy/

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2 said, on 3/23/2013 11:01:00 AM

There's also one for Perfect Square: http://omazingkidsllc.com/2013/02/14/perfect-square-a-perfect-book-for-kids-yoga/..... I forgot to hop by to participate in last month's roundup.... feel free to spread these out & include them in whatever roundups you would like :)

Resh said, on 3/25/2013 10:51:00 AM

Hi Kerry, Thanks for hosting. We have a great book to share.. one of our very favorites! Its called "Goal!"
http://www.stackingbooks.com/?p=1323
-Reshama
www.stackingbooks.com

Kerry Aradhya said, on 3/25/2013 5:23:00 PM

Yeah!! So glad you joined again, Reshama. I used to watch soccer games in college sometimes, and it is such a beautiful sport when you really focus on the movement :)

Kerry Aradhya said, on 3/25/2013 5:25:00 PM

Hi, Angela. I almost reminded you about the roundup last month, but I didn't want to be a pest :) So glad you are here this month! I'll probably post one or two of your posts for March and save the other one or two for a later month. Looking forward to reading all three now, though!

Amy Seto Musser said, on 3/26/2013 10:30:00 AM

That would be wonderful! Great idea!

Kerry Aradhya said, on 3/26/2013 3:56:00 PM

Hi again, Gail! So awesome that you worked at a bookstore at one point. I would go home with too many books if I did that, too! So, I met Paul O. Zelinski, and I even told him that you are using the book for yoga classes. He was really excited!!

A lot of people don't know this, but the author and illustrator of a picture book rarely interact at all! The illustrator works with the text, makes the story his or her own, and sometimes even adds storylines that you can only follow through the illustrations. In Z is for Moose, Paul talked about how he gave some of the cast members of the book little toys to hold (which started with the same letter as the cast member). You can see it in the front pages of the book, and then I think at least in one instance, one of the toys ends up on another page.

Authors and editors can give illustration notes to the illustrator, though, which is what happened with Z is for Moose. Paul actually talked about it some at the conference. He also said that in some cases, he asked if he could change a few of the cast members to different objects/animals. I can't remember which ones offhand, but he did get permission to change them.

It's been super fun interacting with you here. Hope we can chat about picture books more later :)

Jayne Gammons said, on 3/27/2013 10:16:00 AM

Here you go, friend! Post for Cindy Moo. It's a mighty-fine, bovine time! JG
http://abcsofreading.blogspot.com

Kerry Aradhya said, on 3/27/2013 2:58:00 PM

Thanks, Jayne!!

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7. Read & Romp Roundup -- February 2013

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 3/13/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Read and Romp Roundup, Jumping Jenny, Mouse's First Snow, Prancing Dancing Lilly, Picture Books, Add a tag

Welcome to the slightly belated February Read & Romp Roundup. Fitting for such a short month, the roundup is a little shorter than usual this time around. However, I think it's a great one and am excited that we have both regular and new contributors!

Maria from Maria's Movers shares her movement ideas to go along with the picture book Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson and Buket Erdogan. She picks out movement words from the book -- like twirly whirly, zzzzipity zzzip, and push and pile -- and explores them with her little ones. Enjoy reading all of her great ideas!

Children's author Joanna Marple joins us this month from Miss Marple's Musings with a review of the new app Prancing Dancing Lilly by Marsha Diane Arnold and John Manders. Based on the printed picture book by the same name, the app has added features such as music, animal animation and noises, and an option for multi-voice narration. Check out Joanna's post to learn more about Lilly and her dancing dream!

Reshama at the new blog Stacking Books shares the picture book Jumping Jenny by Ellen Bari and Raquel Garcia Macia. Jenny loves jumping, but she finds out it can be annoying to some people and can even lead to accidents. Luckily, Jenny also finds out that jumping can help support a very special cause. Read Reshama's post to find out what that cause is, and enjoy her beautiful blog!

2 Comments on Read & Romp Roundup -- February 2013, last added: 3/14/2013

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8. Poetry Friday Fun with Ladybug Magazine!

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 3/8/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Kangaroo Dance, Poetry Friday, Ladybug Magazine, Marshmallow Soup, Poetry, Add a tag

Happy Poetry Friday! Today is the day, every week, when children's poets and poetry lovers from all over the blogging community come together to share their love of words. This week's Poetry Friday is being hosted by Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe, so make sure to drop by if you are in the mood for rhythm, perhaps some rhyme, and a whole lot of great poetic offerings.

I haven't joined the Poetry Friday round up in a while so am really happy to be participating again with a couple poems from the February 2013 issue of Ladybug Magazine. Before I share them below, I want to thank Ladybug Magazine for allowing me to post them in their entirety.

The first poem, "Kangaroo Dance," is written by Shannon Caster with art by John Nez. It would be great for sharing with little ones who need to bounce off some energy. Boing. Boing. Boing!

Source: Ladybug Magazine
Art © 2013 John Nez

Boing. Boing. Boing.

Kangaroo jumps up high.

Boing. Boing Boing.

He almost touched the sky.

Boing. Boing. Boing.

Around the old gum tree.

Boing. Boing. Boing.

He almost jumped on me!

The second, "Marshmallow Soup," is written by me! It's the first poem I've had published in Ladybug Magazine, and I am thrilled with how the art by Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli came out. You can learn more about the process Jacqueline used to come up with the illustration here on her blog.

With much of the country getting snowed under over the last few days, this poem might be a good one to read next to the fireplace, curled up with a cup of hot cocoa. Mmmmm!

Source: Ladybug Magazine
Art © 2013 Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli

Sweet marshmallow, squishy white.

I can't wait to take a bite.

Drop you in hot chocolate -- plop!

Watch you float up to the top.

And when you melt into a goop,

Slurp you up -- marshmallow soup!

8 Comments on Poetry Friday Fun with Ladybug Magazine!, last added: 4/7/2013

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9. Follow the Leader with Fluff and Billy

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 2/28/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Friendship, Maria's Movers, Fluff and Billy, Maria Hanley, Winter, Snow, Nicola Killen, Picture Books for Dance Class, Add a tag

Read It. Move It. Share It.
Each month I recommend a picture book for dance educator Maria Hanley to use in her creative movement classes in New York, and then we both share our experiences with the book. Our February book was Fluff and Billy by Nicola Killen. When you're done reading about the book here on my blog, stop by Maria's Movers to see what kind of movement it can inspire!

When my girls were younger, they really liked to play follow the leader, and I sometimes used this to my advantage. At bedtime, I could usually get them to go upstairs for bed if I did some super silly moves going up our staircase and asked them to follow along.

Fluff and Billy, published a few months ago by Sterling Children's Books, is a book about friendship and overcoming disagreements. But what made me think it would be a great book for creative movement classes is that the text and illustrations also inspire a good game of follow the leader!

"I'm climbing up!" said Fluff.

"I'm climbing up!" said Billy.

"I'm sliding down!" said Fluff.

"I'm sliding down!" said Billy.

Fluff''s a little bigger than Billy, and he's the one who seems to be the leader. When he climbs and slides, Bill follows along. When he screams, swims, splashes, runs, and jumps, Billy follows along again. But, when Fluff decides to roll a snowball, Billy doesn't quite follow along. Billy decides to throw the snowball at Fluff, and it hits Fluff hard enough to knock him down.

Just like when young friends or siblings play together a lot of the time and then have a fight, Fluff and Billy don't talk to each other for a while -- or at least for a few spreads of the book! Eventually, though, they make up and the book ends on a happy note.

The illustrations of Fluff and Billy are darling, and I love the simplicity of the color palette that was used to create them -- shades of black and gray for their bodies and and orangish red for their beaks and feet. The backgrounds on every page of the book are a mix of white, blue, and yellow. I love books that use unique fonts, and this book does that, too.

If you want to see a few of the spreads from the book, you can see them here on Nicola Killen's website. And if you're curious to see whether Maria played a game of follow the leader with her young students this month, I hope you'll check out her post here.

My girls are six and eight now, and I haven't tried follow the leader with them in a while. They are actually getting pretty good at going upstairs on their own and at least getting the bedtime process started. It might be fun to surprise them with another game of follow the leader up the staircase one of these days, though. And I might even have to follow it up with a reading of this delightful book!

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10. Booking Across the USA: Maryland

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 2/25/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Detwiler, Growing Book by Book, Picture Book, Sylvan Dell, Maryland, Scotti Cohn, One Wolf Howls, Add a tag

http://growingbookbybook.com/sample-page/

Today is "Booking Across the USA" at Growing Book by Book, and I'm representing Maryland! Bloggers representing all 50 states are sharing picture books related to their states and sharing educational activities or projects to go along with the books. You can see the whole list of participating blogs here.

When I first volunteered to represent Maryland, I wasn't sure which picture book to highlight. Should I pick a book that features the whole state? Share a historical story from a specific region? Or choose a book written by a Maryland author? After many hours of thinking and reading, I decided to highlight a book by a Maryland artist!

One Wolf Howls, written by Scotti Cohn and illustrated by Maryland's own Susan Detwiler, was published by Sylvan Dell in 2011. Written in beautiful rhyme, One Wolf Howls goes through each month of the year (one month on each full-page spread) to help reinforce numbers and months of the year and to introduce the habitat and behavior of wolves. Here are two of my favorite spreads, which both include movement or dance...

Two wolves play in a February snowfall --

frisky, frosty, fairyland snow.

Two wolves play in a February snowfall

deep in the woods where the harsh winds blow.

Eight wolves dance in the August twilight --

splash feet, paddle feet, prance by the lake.

Eight wolves dance in the August twilight

deep in the woods as the owls awake.

One Wolf Howls, like all Sylvan Dell Books, includes a "For Creative Minds" section at the back of the book, where you will find several pages of educational activities. Sylvan Dell has also put a lot of effort into creating additional "teaching activities"for One Wolf Howls that coincide with the language arts, science, math, and geography. You can access the full list of teaching activities from the top right of this wonderful page on the Sylvan Dell website, which also includes a fun and informative book trailer.

If you like to incorporate movement into the classroom or you teach creative dance or pre-ballet classes, this book would also be well suited for teaching choreography and practicing movements in unison. One idea is to make up short movement phrases to go with each of the 12 stanzas in the book. An example for the "Eight wolves dance in the August twilight" stanza would be to have the kids splash their feet, paddle their arms, or prance. The students could practice repeating the movements twice during each stanza.

I think it would then be really fun to create a dance in which one student performs the first stanza, which talks about only one wolf. Then another dancer could join the first dancer for the second stanza, which talks about two wolves, and on and on until 12 students are dancing together. The kids could even dance to the rhythm of the poetry rather than to traditional music.

If you have a small group of students, they could just dance part of the book. And if you have a large class, you could split the kids into two groups, and one group could be the audience. Hopefully the dancers would make the audience howl!

Susan Detwiler grew up in Maryland and attended the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where she now lives with her husband and two sons. Susan has illustrated several books for children, including four for Sylvan Dell. Her illustrations have also been published in children's magazines and in puzzles, games, and greeting cards. Visit her website here.

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11. Join the February Read & Romp Roundup

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 2/16/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Picture Books and Yoga, Picture Books about Dance, Picture Books and Movement, Picture Books and Dance, Children's Poetry, Add a tag

Happy February! Hope you all enjoyed Valentine's Day and maybe even heard of or took part in International Book Giving Day, which happened on February 14th as well. I celebrated by donating a copy of the picture book Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World (by Laurie Lawlor and Laura Beingessner) to the library of a local elementary school named after Rachel Carson herself. It felt really good to be able to match a great picture book biography with a school that could truly appreciate it.

Jodie at Growing Book by Book is hosting another fun activity on February 25th that I'm going to take part it. It's a blog hop called "Booking Across America," in which Jodie has rounded up educational and children's literacy bloggers representing all 50 states. Each blogger will be posting about a picture book that is related in some way to his or her state and will provide an educational activity to go along with it. I'll be representing Maryland! Stay tuned...

But, before all the fun starts later this month, I wanted to publish the official call for submissions to the February Read & Romp Roundup here on my blog. If you have a recent (or even not so recent) blog post that involves picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or another form of movement, leave your link in a comment on this post. I'll round up all the links and post about them together in a few weeks. I'd love to hear from you!

Submissions are open until Thursday, February 28, 2013.

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12. Read & Romp Roundup -- January 2013

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 2/10/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Snowy Day, Read and Romp Roundup, Piggies in a Polka, Nighttime Ninja, Rabbit's Snow Dance, Balancing Act, Picture Books, The Story of a Prima Swanerina, Ballerina Dreams, Add a tag

Welcome to the January Read & Romp Roundup! Since another winter storm has just barreled through parts of the Northeastern United States, I'm going to start the roundup off with a couple of winter-themed books with lots of snow in them. However, there were plenty of other great submissions in January, including a picture book about pigs who polka! Stay warm this weekend if you were in the path of the storm, and enjoy the roundup...

Jacqui at Access Dance for Life shares her impressions of the classic book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Her post reminds us of the wonder of snow and suggests ways to incorporate the book into creative movement and pre-ballet classes.

Rabbit's Snow Dance is the first of four movement-themed books that Amy from Picture-Book-a-Day is sharing with us. Just released a few months ago, the book tells a traditional Iroquois story explaining how the rabbit got its tail. As you might expect, it involves snow -- and dancing!

I can't wait to read Piggies in a Polka after hearing Amy's description of the book. "Movement is woven into the text, as well as the illustrations, and the rhythm of the book sets your toes a-tapping," she says. Check out her post to learn more!

Honk! The Story of a Prima Swanerina is another of Amy's recommendations that I would love to read. Her post gives a detailed description of the book -- which involves the Paris Opera House, Swan Lake, and a swan who longs to dance -- and mentions other books and activities that go along with it.

In one more post at Picture-Book-a-Day, Amy describes some of the movement words in Nighttime Ninja and how the book can inspire kids to get moving. Amy's year of blogging about picture books is over, but hopefully she will still be able to contribute to the roundup through her new blog Chapter Book Explorer!

Beth at By Word of Beth shares the nonfiction book Ballerina Dreams, which takes readers into a special ballet class for children with physical disabilities and follows them as they prepare for a ballet recital. Beth also shares activities and resources to go along with this inspiring book.

Over at Maria's Movers, Maria tells us how she used the picture book Balancing Act to teach balance to her creative movement students. It involves piling onto an imaginary teeter totter. Fun!

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13. Mouse's First Snow Melts My Heart

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 2/1/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mouse's First Snow, Maria's Movers, Picture Books about Winter, Lauren Thompson, Buket Erdogen, Snow, Picture Books for Dance Class, Add a tag

Read It. Move It. Share It.
Every month I recommend a picture book for dance educator Maria Hanley to use in her creative movement classes in New York, and then we both share our experiences with the book. Our January book was Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson and Buket Erdogan. Don't forget to stop by Maria's Movers to see how Maria used the book in her classes!

When my girls were really young, the Mouse's First books by Lauren Thompson and Buket Erdogan -- including Mouse's First Snow -- were some of my favorites. I loved the simplicity of the writing by Thompson, who has since become an author I like to follow. I even recommended another book from the Mouse's First series -- Mouse's First Fall -- to Maria during our collaboration last year.

So now that I've gushed about Lauren Thompson, I have to tell you that what really drew me to the Mouse's First series were the adorable illustrations by Erdogan. I love their simplicity and whimsy. I love that the mice look so at home against the soft colors in the backgrounds that cover each page from top to bottom. And I love that you can see strong connections between Mouse and the other characters in the books through their body language alone. In Mouse's First Snow, it is Mouse and Poppa who share that special bond...

One bright, white winter day, Mouse and Poppa went out to play!

"Let's go sledding!" said Poppa.

Whoosh, swoosh! Poppa slid down the hill.

I can do that too! thought Mouse.

Pliff! ploof! Mouse slid down the hill too.

"Good for you!" said Poppa.

These first few pages set up the story's structure, which repeats itself about five times in the book. Poppa has an idea for a snow activity -- and usually one that involves movement and sound! He tries it out, and then Mouse tries it out. After each activity, Papa shares some words of encouragement for Mouse. It's very sweet. The pair go ice skating, make snow angels, and even make a snowy surprise together at the end of the book. (If you look at the cover of the book, you might be able to guess what the surprise is!)

I can't wait to see how Maria used the book in her classes and to see if she he used it with her mommy or daddy and me classes or with older children. And do you think she had the kids do all of the movements in the book? Or did she make up her own winter activities? Let's find out here.

I found this YouTube video of a library story time with Mouse's First Snow. Enjoy the story and seeing the gorgeous illustrations up close!

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14. Read & Romp Roundup -- September 2012

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 10/12/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Read and Romp Roundup, Picture Books about Dance, Angelina Ballerina, Apple Farmer Annie, Mouse's First Fall, Tap Dance Fever, Add a tag

Welcome to the September Read & Romp Roundup! Thanks, as always, to all of the contributors...and to you, the readers! Without further adieu, here are last month's submissions...

Angela at OMazing Kids added the picture book Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington to her list of "Fall Faves." Angela describes the book and provides a comprehensive lesson plan to go along with it. Yoga poses, breathing exercises, suggestions for music, and sneak peeks of the book are all included!

I'm so happy that Erik from This Kid Reviews Books joined the roundup this month with a review of the picture book Tap Dance Fever by Pat Brisson and Nancy Cote. Check out Eric's post to learn more about the star of the book -- Annabelle Applegate -- and how she just can't stop dancing! Erik also includes a link to directions on how to make your own tap shoes. Fun!

In keeping with the seasons, Maria at Maria's Movers shares her creative movement ideas to go along with the picture book Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson and Buket Erdogan. As you might expect, Maria even incorporates real leaves into her ideas for this book!

At Picture-Book-a-Day, Amy reviews one of her all-time favorite picture books about dance -- Angelina Ballerina! She also provides links to more information about Angelina, ideas for books to pair with this one, a hand print craft, and directions on how to make your own tutu!

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15. Join the October Read & Romp Roundup!

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 10/19/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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This month is going by so quickly. I don't know about you, but we aren't even ready for Halloween at our house. The decorations aren't up, and only one of my two daughters has a costume to wear so far! I can tell the rest of the month is going to be a busy one. Nonetheless, I'm actually going to try to post the October Read & Romp Roundup by the end of the month. I think it may be a first!

I know not all of my readers celebrate Halloween, but I still have a feeling a few of the submissions this month will have to do with monsters or goblins or ghosts. Or at least I hope so...because that would be fun!

So, this is the official call for submissions for the October Read & Romp Roundup. If you have a recent (or even not so recent) blog post that involves picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or another form of movement, just leave a link to your post in the comments below. I'll gather up all of the links and summarize them in a new post at the end of the month.

If you're new here or aren't familiar with the roundups, you can read some of the old ones here. Looking forward to hearing your new ideas!

Submissions are open until Monday, October 29, 2012.

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16. Join the November Read & Romp Roundup!

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 11/13/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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It's November -- the perfect month for celebrating picture books! One of my favorite literary activities this month is Picture Book Idea Month, also known as PiBoIdMo. It's a challenge to come up with 30 picture book ideas in 30 days. Although it's too late to officially register for the event (which makes you eligible for prizes), it's NOT too late to join in the fun! You can follow along on author Tara Lazar's blog Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), where guest bloggers are sharing their experiences creating picture books every day this month.

If you're looking for more inspiration, it's also Picture Book Month. Author and storyteller Dianne de Las Casas founded this annual international celebration of picture books with a few other children's authors and illustrators last year. Each day this month, a different author, illustrator, or publishing professional is writing a short post on the Picture Book Month blog about why picture books are important.

Because it's November, it's also time for the official call for submissions to the November Read & Romp Roundup right here on my blog. If you have a recent (or even not so recent) blog post that involves picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or another form of movement, leave your link in a comment on this post. I'll round up all the links and post about them together in a few weeks. Happy November!

Submissions are open until Thursday, November 29, 2012.

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Zoe said, on 11/13/2012 2:02:00 PM

Love the idea of this round up! And yes, I'd love to be included - 2 reviews of different versions of the Nutcracker: http://www.playingbythebook.net/2012/11/09/beautiful-books-inspired-by-tchaikovskys-nutcracker/

Off now to tweet about your round up :)

Kerry Aradhya said, on 11/13/2012 7:20:00 PM

Thanks so much, Zoe...for joining the roundup and for tweeting :) Can't wait for December on your blog :)

Amy Seto Musser said, on 11/14/2012 11:26:00 AM

Hey Kerry,
So far this month I've just got one movement related book, but if I post more I'll leave a comment.

Mirette on the High Wire: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/11/book-313-mirette-on-high-wire-by-emily.html

As always, many thanks!
-Amy

Kerry Aradhya said, on 11/14/2012 3:41:00 PM

Thanks, Amy! I recently checked this one out from the library and enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading your post!

Amy Seto Musser said, on 11/20/2012 9:07:00 AM

Hi Kerry-

I've been eager to read this book for quite a while and today I finally had a chance to sit down and review it.

Monsieur Marceau
http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/11/book-324-monsieur-marceau-by-leda.html

Also a lovely excuse to watch lots of YouTube clips of his performances!

-Amy

Kerry Aradhya said, on 11/20/2012 8:14:00 PM

Awesome, Amy. Thanks! And have a great Thanksgiving!

Amy Seto Musser said, on 11/22/2012 10:50:00 AM

Happy Thanksgiving Kerry!

I decided to do a book that celebrates America today. So here's my review of Ballet for Martha:

http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/11/book-326-ballet-for-martha-making.html

-Amy

Kerry Aradhya said, on 11/22/2012 7:49:00 PM

Oh, I love this book! So thankful you are such a great contributor to the roundups , Amy :)

Angela @ OMazing Kids said, on 11/24/2012 1:19:00 PM

Hi Kerry - I would love to share my post on "Agate: What Good Is A Moose?": http://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/09/12/moosely-marvelous-omazing-kids-lesson-plan-printables-music-more/

Kerry Aradhya said, on 11/25/2012 8:15:00 AM

Thanks, Angela!

Maria said, on 11/28/2012 5:11:00 AM

I'm submitting the snowy day dance! Just because it's my fave, and we are bound to get some snow very soon, right? :)
http://mariasmovers.com/2012/01/30/the-snowy-day-dance/

Kerry Aradhya said, on 11/28/2012 7:01:00 AM

Thanks, Maria. I like that one, too. I thought we were going to get some snow last night, but we didn't. I'm sure it is coming soon, though, too! :)

Angela @ OMazing Kids said, on 11/28/2012 1:11:00 PM

I'd also like to share the new post I just did for The Grinch Who Stole Christmas: http://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/11/28/the-yoga-of-dr-seuss-inspired-by-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-free-printable/.

Kerry Aradhya said, on 11/29/2012 7:05:00 AM

Ooh, that sounds fun, Angela. Can't wait to read your post!

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17. Have You Met Prima the Ballerina?

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 11/9/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Nikki White and her husband Ethan White both danced professionally for ballet companies in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 10 years before embarking on a new and exciting direction in their dance careers. They're on a mission to bring contemporary ballet to wider audiences and in doing so were named one of three finalists on Paula Abdul's CBS television show Live to Dance in 2011. Interestingly, their new career direction also includes the launch of a new picture book character -- Prima the Ballerina!

If you've checked out the video above, you've gotten a little taste of who Nikki and Ethan are and what their impressive dancing and choreography are like. But just who is Prima the Ballerina? Well, I've read about Prima online and have also been in touch with Nikki to find out.

"Prima is an expressive young girl, with a wonderful imagination, a curious nature, and a big heart," says Nikki, who will be writing all the books in the Prima series. "She finds the dance in every movement, the games in everyday activities, and the joy that comes from self expression."

These days, Nikki spends a lot of time teaching, and Prima was developed partly in response to parents and fellow teachers wanting to know how she engages her students. So in some ways, the books will be an extension of Nikki, using many of the same techniques that Nikki uses to teach dance to young children.

The series will follow Prima as she learns about many different kinds of dance. But, given Nikki's background, all of the books will show how the foundation of ballet connects to these other forms of movement. Hip-hop, classical Indian dance, modern dance, tap, and ballroom dance are all on the list of possible themes for future books.

The first book in the series -- Prima the Ballerina: In Her Backyard -- focuses on how ballet can inform creative movement. In the book, Prima meets backyard animals who each teach her a different way to move. She meets butterflies, an owl, and snakes. Ants teach her how to balance, and a bunny teaches her how to jump high, with her toes pointed, and land softly on the ground. By the end of the book, Prima realizes that she can make a whole dance out of everything she has learned from her animal friends!

If you look closely at Prima, you may be wondering how she was illustrated. Well, Nikki's husband Ethan is not only a remarkable dancer but also a talented visual artist. "Prima is made out of clay with fully articulating joints that allow her to have the same range of motion as a real dancer," says Nikki. She and Ethan took photos of Prima in proper ballet positions and blended them together with other handmade, drawn, and computer-generated characters and backgrounds to create the images in the book. Pretty neat, right?

Another thing I've learned from talking to Nikki is that more than just a series, Prima the Ballerina is a brand that was created to reach children and their caregivers with dance tools they might not otherwise have available to them. Prima is available not only as a hardcover picture book but also as an interactive flipbook. An accompanying musical CD is also available for purchase, especially if you are looking for music to go along with the games Prima plays with the animals in the book.

"We've witnessed and personally experienced the decline in arts and education funding, and we feel that it is up to us as a society to create a culture that values and celebrates the arts," Nikki says. "The launching of this brand is our attempt to make dance education affordable and available to all."

I have to give Nikki and Ethan a lot of credit for launching these products on their own. They have been busy marketing online, visiting bookstores, going on school visits, and much more. And they have a lot of dedication and enthusiasm!

If you are searching for a traditionally published book about dance to entertain young children, this may not be what you're looking for. But if you are searching for a tool to engage young children in dance and begin teaching them some of the important concepts that all good dancers must master, then Prima could be for you. I wish Nikki and Ethan lots of success in growing their brand!

Learn more about Nikki's and Ethan's artistic background and adventures at whitetreefineart.com. Read more about Prima and preview her products at primatheballerina.com.

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18. If You're a Monster and You Know It...

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 10/31/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Read It. Move It. Share It.
Maria from Maria's Movers lives in New York City, so I'm very glad she is safe and has power after the storm -- two things that made it possible for her to still participate in our monthly post. Each month I recommend a book for Maria to use in her creative movement classes, and then we both share out experiences with the book. This month we explore If You're a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca Emberley and Caldecott Medalist Ed Emberley. It's a fun book for Halloween!

Written and designed by Rebecca Emberley and illustrated by Ed Emberley, If You're a Monster and You Know It is one of many picture books created by this prolific father-daughter duo. Like many of the books they have collaborated on, this one is full of energy and bright colors. It's also full of monsters (the not-so-scary kind) who love to move and groove...

If you're a monster and you know it, wiggle your warts

If you're a monster and you know it,

and you really want to show it,

If you're a monster and you know it -- wiggle your warts

WIGGLE WIGGLE

Do you recognize that tune? If You're Happy and You Know It is a favorite song of many young children, so I'm sure lots of children will have a great time singing the song in this book, too. In fact, the book comes with a free download of the song sung by Adrian Emberley -- the daughter of Rebecca Emberley and the granddaughter of Ed Emberley!

In addition to wiggling their warts, the monsters in this book stomp their paws and twitch their tails. They also like to make a lot of noise, so you can find them smacking their claws, snorting and growling, and roaring. The end of the book even has a pull-out spread showing the animals doing all the movements and making all the sounds at the same time...

If you're a monster and you know it, do it all!

SNORT GROWL

SMACK SMACK

STOMP STOMP

TWITCH TWITCH

WIGGLE WIGGLE

ROAR ROAR

In classic Ed Emberley style, the illustrations are extremely colorful and a little abstract. The monsters on the cover are a good representation of what you will find inside, with the boldly colored monsters popping out against a black background on every page.

Each stanza of the song is actually given four full pages (two two-page spreads), with the second two-page spread devoted solely to the movement or sound emphasized on the previous spread. If you look closely, you'll see that the illustrations on the second two-page spread are really close-ups of some of the body parts of the monsters on the previous pages. I think it will make flipping through the book fun for little ones, especially those who can't yet read and will really notice all the little details.

I picked this book for Maria to try with her classes for a few reasons. First of all, it's October, and monsters seems to fit in really well! I also thought the illustrations and song would be very popular with her young students and provide lots of ideas for movement. The fact that the book comes with downloadable music is an extra bonus that would make using it in class even easier!

Let's see what Maria thinks about this book here. And, if you're in the mood for some other monster books with creative input from the Emberley clan, you can check out these...

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19. Read & Romp Roundup -- October 2012

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 10/29/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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The rain is picking up, the wind is starting to howl, and I'm bound and determined to get this month's Read & Romp Roundup posted before the power goes out! I hope everyone along the East Coast stays safe and warm over the next couple of days. And wherever you are, if and when you have access to the Internet, I hope you'll enjoy the roundup...

When a reader wrote to Maria from Maria's Movers to see if she had any movement ideas to go along with the picture book Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden, Maria was up for the challenge. Here she provides three ideas to try with preschoolers. My favorite is having all the dancers make a class pumpkin together...using their bodies!

At Picture-Book-a-Day, Amy shares her review of Josephine Wants to Dance. Created by Australian duo Jackie French and Bruce Whatley, it's no surprise that the book is about a dancing kangaroo! Read Amy's post for more about the book and links to great supplemental material!

Amy also features two more picture books -- both by Vincent X. Kirsch -- that contain elements of dance. The first -- The Chandeliers -- is about a family of performing giraffes. The second -- Forsythia and Me -- is about two best friends Chester and Forsythia. Chester thinks Forsythia is amazing because she does things like perform with the ballet, so Chester needs to find a way to prove he can be a great friend, too!

I'm so happy that Nichelle from Dance Advantage also joined the roundup this month with two posts. T he first contains reviews of The Barefoot Book of Dance Stories and The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories. Both are written by the legendary Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi Stemple, and both are accompanied by gorgeous illustrations to go along with the storybook text for children and adults.

Nichelle's second post is a list of nine picture book biographies about dance. Isadora Duncan, Alvin Ailey, and Jose Limon are the three modern dancers and choreographers on the list, but there are also ballet dancers, tap dancers, and ballroom dancers. I love picture book biographies, and I love this list because it is all about dance. Thanks, Nichelle!

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20. Art Imitating Life in "Balancing Act"

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 12/10/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Creative Movement, Maria's Movers, Ellen Stoll Walsh, Balancing Act, Picture Books for Dance Class, Add a tag

Read It. Move It. Share It.
Every month, I recommend a picture book for dance educator Maria Hanley to use in her creative movement classes in New York, and then we both share our experiences with the book. In November, I recommended Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh. After you read my post about the book, don't forget to stop by Maria's blog, Maria's Movers, to find out her movement ideas!

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted? Wow! This is not the first time I have gone several weeks without blogging, but every time it happens I am amazed how quickly the time has gone by. And every time it happens, it is usually for the same reason.

Yes, I admit that time gets away with me sometimes, and then I have trouble balancing work, family, writing, dancing, blogging... Life really is a balancing act, and a very delicate one I must add. Spend just a little too much time or energy on one aspect of life, and you might have to make some changes to get back on track. Well, the book I picked for our November collaboration -- Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh -- is all about balancing, too...but on a teeter-totter!

The mice made a teeter-totter.

It was fun to balance...

one mouse on each end.

Ta-da!

But then a salamander wanted a turn.

Hmmm...

From this excerpt, you may be getting an idea of where this book is headed. Well, the salamander jumps onto one end of the teeter-totter, and that end of the teeter-totter drops to the ground. Oh, but then another salamander hops onto the other end of the teeter-totter, and everything is perfectly balanced again. But wait! Now a frog wants a turn! This continues on for a while until it starts getting a little bit harder to balance the teeter-totter, like when a big heavy bird wants to join in!

I thought this book could be fun for teaching balance, or for giving little ones a chance to practice coming up with creative solutions to a problem. It will be fun to see what Maria decided to do with the book in her classes. You can find out here.

The illustrations for the book are just as delightful as the simple story line. Created with paper cut-outs, the teeter-totter and the animal characters stand out against a white background on every page. And the characters are colorful, yet slightly muted. A perfect "balance" of the two...

I couldn't find a website for Ellen Stoll Walsh, but I found this really neat Pinterest page with links to more of her picture books and some fun artistic and educational ideas to go with them. Enjoy!

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21. Read & Romp Roundup -- November 2012

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 12/16/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Read and Romp Roundup, Picture Books and Yoga, Picture Books about Dance, Picture Books and Movement, Winter, Add a tag

The last few weeks have been a little crazy for me, but I finally have the November Read & Romp Roundup ready to share with you. Lots of picture books with winter and holiday themes this month, so I hope you'll enjoy the post. And thanks, as always, to everyone who contributed. I couldn't do this without you!

With Nutcracker season in full swing, Zoe at Playing by the Book shares reviews of two Nutcracker books for children. First is Ella Bella Ballerina and the Nutcracker, which is part of a wonderful series of ballet-themed books by James Mayhew. Zoe also reviews E.T.A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker, which is illustrated by Maurice Sendak and was just re-released this year. Both are gorgeous books!

Over at Picture-Book-a-Day, Amy reviews the 1993 Caldecott-winning picture book Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully. As the title implies, one of the themes of the book is high wire walking. See Amy's post to learn more about the book and some activities to go along with it, including movement activities to practice balance.

Amy also reviews the picture book biography Monsieur Marceau by Leda Schubert and Gerard DuBois. Born in France in 1993, Marceau is known not only as a famous mime but also as a person who helped save the lives of many Jewish children during World War II. Amy talks more about this interesting man, provides links to videos of mimes, and suggests movement activities to go with the book.

Amy always has great descriptions and ideas to go along with the books she highlights on Picture-Book-a-Day, and her post on Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring is no exception. Read her post to learn more about this book on the collaboration among dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, composer Aaron Copeland, and set designer Isamu Noguchi.

Angela at Omazing Kids is sharing multiple picture books on her blog this month, too! First up is her favorite moose book to use when she teaches yoga for kids -- Agate: What Good is a Moose? by Joy Morgan Dey and Nikki Johnson. Click here to read Angela's post, see images from the book, and find out which yoga poses they might inspire.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the Grinch, right? For Angela at Omazing Kids, it seems that Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the Grinch AND yoga! Check out her blog post on How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, which includes yoga poses to go with the book, printable yoga cards, and links to other winter-themed posts on her blog.

Last but not least, Maria from Maria's Movers shares movement ideas to go along with the classic picture book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Her imaginative post will give you plenty of ideas for allowing your little ones to experience the snow, whether or not there is actually snow where you live!

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22. A Nutcracker Picture Book Countdown!

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 12/19/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Nutcracker Picture Books, Maryland Youth Ballet, Dance Advantage, Nutcracker, Ballet, Christmas, Add a tag

My two girls and I have tickets to see the Maryland Youth Ballet's version of The Nutcracker this weekend. It's become a bit of a family tradition, and this will be our third year going. We're all very excited!

In anticipation of the weekend, we started reading Nutcracker picture books last night. Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite by Anna Harwell Celenza and Don Tate was the first on our list, and we have three more lined up for the rest of the week. I'm guest posting about all four books today on Dance Advantage (a wonderful online dance resource for dance students, parents, and educators). I hope you'll check it out!

Have you ever been to a performance of The Nutcracker? Do you have a favorite Nutcracker picture book you'd like to share?

2 Comments on A Nutcracker Picture Book Countdown!, last added: 12/20/2012

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23. Holiday Bop with "The Hanukkah Hop"

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 12/31/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Creative Movement, Erica Silverman, Maria's Movers, Hanukkah, The Hanukkah Hop, Picture Books for Dance Class, Steven D'Amico, Add a tag

Read It. Move It. Share It.
With so many holidays to celebrate this month, I chose a holiday book -- The Hanukkah Hop -- for dance educator Maria Hanley to use as part of our monthly collaboration. Because I know Maria teaches many of her classes at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, I thought this would be the perfect book for her to try out in December. When you finish reading this post, you can hop on over to her blog, Maria's Movers, to read how her classes went!

I love that my kindergartner and second grader came home from school this month with projects celebrating so many different holidays. There were holiday word searches, gingerbread houses, a Kwanzaa coloring book, and even a hand-made dreidel!

Bookstores this month were also full of holiday books, including many new ones that were highlighted in a recent article from the Horn Book. If you happen to be looking for Hanukkah books in particular, Margo at The Fourth Musketeer also blogged this month about some of her favorites. I was happy to see The Hanukkah Hop, by Erica Silverman (author) and Steven D'Amico (illustrator), on her list. I bought my copy last year when the book was published, but I did notice that it was on the shelves at the stores again this year.

In the beginning of the book, young Rachel and her family are preparing to host a "Hanukkah Hop" for their extended family -- grandparents, nieces and nephews, great-aunts, second cousins, and friends from near and far. Rachel is getting the streamers ready, Daddy is blowing up balloons, and Mommy is making latkes. As the guests arrive, the party really starts, with plenty of dancing and a traditional Jewish band as a special guest...

The front door opens...

"Yah! Our special guests are here."

And carrying their instruments --

the klezmer band appears!

"Biddy-biddy bim-bom bim-bom bop."

Now we can get stomping at our Hanukkah Hop!"

As the dance party continues, readers will also learn what a menorah is, how to play with dreidels, and the history of Hanukkah -- all to the infectious beat of the text, broken up from time to time by the "biddy biddy him-bom bim-bom bop" refrain. Not all of the rhyme in the book is perfect, but you hardly notice because of the festive nature of the rhythm and of the illustrations, which are full of color, movement, and fine details that will make the book seem fresh on repeat readings.

The book also provides plenty of inspiration for movement. Rachel spins like a dreidel, streamers fall to the ground, balloons pop, and guests wiggle and hop. They also swing, sway, dive, and jump as they enjoy the music of the night. To find out if Maria incorporated any of these elements into her dance classes, you can read her post here.

Near the end of the book, Daddy starts cleaning up dishes, guests start snoozing, and Mommy looks for pillows and blankets to make the sleepy guests more comfortable. And then there is Rachel -- still energized by the music, joy, and spirit of the holiday season and not quite ready to hang up her dancing shoes!

"Biddy-biddy bim-bom bim-bom bop.

I'm the only one still dancing at our Hanukkah Hop!"

Whether you celebrated Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, or none of the above this month, there's still one holiday left that everyone can celebrate together -- New Year's Eve! Hope you fit some great music and lots of dancing into your evening tonight. Wishing you and yours a wonderful start to the new year. Happy holidays!!

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24. Join the January Read & Romp Roundup!

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 1/11/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Add a tag

My kindergartner and second grader's elementary school is having a read-a-thon this month, so there's been reading going on at bedtime, in the afternoons, and even at the breakfast table at our house! The read-a-thon has a pirate theme, and if all the kids in the school collectively read 100,000 minutes during the month, then the principal and two assistant principals are going to have "to walk the plank." Sounds like good motivation to me!

My girls also started their ballet lessons again this week after a short holiday break, so there has been quite a bit of both reading and dancing around here lately. I hope that all of you are off to a fantastic start to the new year and that reading, dancing, or both continue to be a big part of your lives in 2013 as well.

This is the official call for submissions for the January Read & Romp Roundup. If you have a recent (or even not so recent) blog post that involves picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or another form of movement, leave your link in a comment on this post. I'll round up all the links and post about them together before the end of the month. I decided not to have a December roundup, so feel free to submit your posts from last month, too.

Happy New Year!

Submissions are open until Friday, January 25, 2012.

8 Comments on Join the January Read & Romp Roundup!, last added: 1/20/2013

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25. Top Five Posts at Picture Books & Pirouettes

By: Kerry Aradhya, on 1/21/2013
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Allegra Kent, Read and Romp Roundup, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, Favorite Blog Posts, Dance Advantage, Miss Tutu's Star, Ballerina Swan, Drumbeat in Our Feet, Add a tag

A lot of creative movement teachers have "circle time" at the beginning of class to give the children a chance to share any special thoughts they have before class and to help set up a structure and collaborative tone for the rest of the class. Over at the incredible dance resource Dance Advantage, Nichelle established a circle time of her own a few months ago so her readers could also share their thoughts on a variety of dance topics.

This month, Nichelle is asking bloggers to describe five top posts from their own blogs and why those posts "rock." This sounded like a fun exercise, especially since I haven't spent too much time reflecting on how Picture Books & Pirouettes has evolved since I started it back in August 2010. Here's a bit of what I had to say about the blog in my very first post...

My plan is to blog about a wide variety of picture books that are in some way related to dance...And, since I am still new to this whole blog thing, I'm not yet sure what other directions it might take...

It is reassuring to look back at this and realize I have stuck to my plan of blogging about picture books related to dance. But now -- 122 posts later -- it is also rewarding to be able to highlight a couple of those "other directions" my blog has taken in the last two and a half years...

Poetry Friday: Miss Tutu's Star Shines!
(August 2010)

This post describes the picture book Miss Tutu's Star by Leslea Newman and Carey Armstrong-Ellis. The book is such a wonderful combination of poetry, humor, sweetness, and dance. It introduced me to an author and an illustrator I hadn't heard of before and has become one of my favorite picture books with a dance theme.

The History and Power of African Dance
(July 2011)

This post about the picture book Drumbeat In Our Feet was one of my most personal posts, as the book reminded me of some of my own life experiences related to Africa and African dance. It also resonated with some of my readers and elicited comments from people I don't often hear from through my blog.

We're Dancing on a Bear Hunt!
(September 2011)

One of my favorite "other directions" the blog has taken is my monthly collaboration with Maria's Movers. For "Read It. Move It. Share It," each month I recommend a book for Maria to use in her creative movement classes, and then we share our experiences with the book. We're Going on a Bear Hunt turned out to be a popular book among dance teachers, and I love how Maria used it in her classes!

Read & Romp Roundup
(January 2012)

Exactly a year ago, I started hosting a monthly roundup of blog posts related to both picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or other forms of movement. I was really happy with the response, especially among other bloggers who integrate children's literature and the arts. I love interacting with other bloggers who share my passions, so I would have to say that the inaugural "Read & Romp Roundup" is another of my favorite posts!

Author Interview: Ballerina Allegra Kent
(April 2012)

I've had the privilege of interviewing several children's book authors on my blog, but my interview with Allegra Kent stands out in my mind. It was the only interview that I conducted over the phone (rather than over email) for the blog, and I so enjoyed learning more about Allegra's history as a Balanchine ballerina and how she became the author of her debut picture book Ballerina Swan.

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