Welcome to the first bimonthly Read & Romp Roundup. Thanks to those of you who submitted posts this time around. I also happened to stumble across a few additional posts related to picture books and dance, so I've included those as well. Hope you enjoy the roundup!


Danielle at This Picture Book Life shares a post about the picture book Bonjour Camille, which will be released in August from Chronicle Books. Dressed in a tutu and a top hat, Camille is a little girl with a whole lot of things to do! Check out Danielle's post to learn more about these "things" and to see several bold and energetic illustrations from the book.


Atelierstorytime shares a blog post by Anna Forlati -- the illustrator of the Italian picture book Yoga Piccolo Piccolo. Translated as "Small Small Yoga," Yoga Piccolo Picollo may not be available in an English version, but the gorgeous illustrations in this blog post will speak to everyone!


At Maria's Movers, Maria explores the wordless picture book Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle, which won a Caldecott Honor in 2014. Read her post to see how she used the book in a workshop for 6-year-olds about creating new dances!


Maria was also featured in the June Book to Boogie post at the Library as Incubator Project, where she shared movement ideas to go with the picture book Here Are My Hands. A month earlier, the May Book to Boogie post featured movement ideas to go with the picture book SPLASH! by Ann Jonas.


At the Dirigible Plum, Elizabeth reviews the nonfiction picture book Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao's Last Dancer. The book tells the story of Li Cunxin, who grew up in rural China and was selected as a boy to move to Beijing to train as a ballet dancer. Interestingly, the book is written by the dancer himself. The illustrations by Anne Spudvilas, some of which you can see in Elizabeth's post, help tell his emotional story.


And last but not least, Reading Today Online shares a fun interview with Connie Schofield-Morrison and Frank Morrison -- the husband-and-wife team who created the new picture book I Got the Rhythm. They actually interview each other about creating the book. You don't want to miss it!

At long last, here is the April Read & Romp Roundup. I know the roundup is SUPER DUPER late this time, but to compensate I promise it's going to be a great one. Thanks to all who contributed!


Sandy at Unpacking the POWER of Picture Books starts us off with a bang! All in one post, she highlights the picture books A Dance like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream, Bea at Ballet, On Your Toes: A Ballet ABC, and Oliver Button is a Sissy. Plus, she includes links to other reviews of A Dance Like Starlight, as well as to an interview with the author and illustrator of Flora and the Flamingo. Thanks to Cathy at Bildebok from Cathy Ballou Mealey for letting me know about this post!


A Dance Like Starlight was a popular book in April, especially given that April was National Poetry Month and the book is written so poetically by author Kristy Dempsey. Rhapsody in Books shares a review of the book, including several passages of text and several stunning images by illustrator Floyd Cooper.


In April, Giselle at Kids Yoga Stories celebrated picture books by author and illustrator Denise Fleming. In addition to listing seven of her favorite books by Fleming, Giselle provides yoga, movement, and counting ideas to go with Count!, In the Tall, Tall Grass, and In the Small, Small Pond. 


The April Book to Boogie post at The Library as Incubator Project features guest blogger Jill Homan Randall, who provides movement ideas to go with the picture book Dance with Me by Charles R. Smith Jr. and Noah J. Zones. Short but spirited, the post is sure to inspire you to integrate this book into a lively story time!


Kathleen at Wild Things Yoga shares a yoga lesson plan for first and second graders based on the award-winning picture book biography The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. The lesson plan focuses on balance, perseverance, self-awareness, and risk-taking -- concepts that are also explored in the book, which tells the story of Philippe Petite, who walked along a wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. The post also provides links to a slideshow, news story, and mini-documentary about this amazing story!


If you love the character Gerald from the picture book Giraffes Can't Dance, you'll love Jayne's April post at ABCs of Reading. The post explores how you can work on the reading comprehension strategy of "making connections" through drama and creative movement, such as by having students travel through the story from Gerald's perspective. For example, "Try to run around, but buckle at the knees. What are your feelings when you fall?" This creative and insightful post also contains a link to an art lesson based on Giraffes Can't Dance...and more!


In her monthly roundup at Chapter Book Explorer, Amy features Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle. A sequel to Federle's Better Nate than Ever, this new chapter book continues Nate's journey to make it big on Broadway. "Take another hilarious and touch ride with Nate Foster as he learns to live in the Big Apple, masters his choreography, has his first kiss, and saves the show!" says Amy.

Today I'm participating in the second annual Booking Across the USA blog tour, which has been organized so well by our fearless leader Jodie at Growing Book by Book. Each blogger on the tour is creating an activity for young children that is related to one of the 50 U.S. states and is inspired by a new series of books -- Travels with Charlie -- by Miles Backer with illustrations by Chuck Nitzberg. I signed up for Maryland!

Some of you might remember that my family and I moved from Maryland to California late last summer, so we've been in our new home for almost an entire school year now. Wow! I must say that I am truly enjoying the beauty, sunshine, and way of life out here on the West Coast, but I do miss many things about Maryland, so this blog tour gave me a chance to reminisce.


Movement Activity
Given my blog's theme, I wanted to come up with a book-related activity that involved movement. So why not create a simple dance to the book's poem about Maryland? But first, here are a few definitions that are important to know in order to execute the movements in the dance...

Skipjack: Maryland's official state boat, which looks like a sailboat and is used to fish for oysters in the Chesapeake Bay

Fort McHenry: A star-shaped fort in Baltimore, Maryland, where part of the War of 1812 was fought

And here is the book's poem about Maryland, along with movements to go with each line or group of lines. As you'll see, the first few movements are wavy and circular and the last few are sharp and straight, to give children the opportunity to explore both types…

Art Activity
The star spangled banner was actually a flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. (The flag was raised at Fort McHenry after a crucial battle in 1814.) What makes this banner so special is that it is the only version of the American flag that has 15 stars and 15 stripes. You can read more about the banner at this website of the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, where the original flag is on display.

Star spangled banner on display at the National Museum of American History

For an art activity, each child can color his or her own star spangled banner, either freehand our using a coloring page. Here is a sample coloring page from the TPS-Barat Educational Foundation. TPS-Barat also has a whole star spangled banner lesson plan for students in kindergarten through second grade, which could probably be adapted for younger students as well. It's aligned with some of the common core language arts standards and includes illustrations, recordings, lyrics, and more related to the national anthem. (When you color the flag, don't forget that the first stripe is a red one.)

Star spangled banner coloring page from TPS-Barat Educational Foundation

You might consider playing the national anthem in the background as the children color their flags, or turning their coloring pages into "real" flags using some glue and popsicle sticks or straws. If time allows, it might also be nice to do a little marching dance to the national anthem when the flags are finished. First have the kids stand still and wave their flags to the beat. Then have them march, holding their flags still over their heads. Finally, see if they can march and wave their flags at the same time while still keeping the beat!

Don't forget to stop by Growing Book by Book to find the rest of posts in this year's Booking Across the USA tour…plus a giveaway. You can also explore picture books by authors and illustrator from the 50 states through last year's tour here. 

Welcome to the March Read & Romp Roundup! Women's History Month was celebrated widely in March, so several of the submissions feature women who have broken boundaries in the world of dance -- the African American ballerina Janet Collins and the inspiring dancer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker. And of course, no roundup would be complete without picture books and movement ideas to go with them, which are also included. Enjoy!


At Good Reads with Ronna, Rita Zobayan reviews the popular new picture book A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey and Floyd Cooper. "Inspired by the story of Janet Collins, the first African American ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream is a story of high hopes and grand dreams," says Rita. Read the full review to see why this "wonderful tale of courage, perseverance, and determination" brought tears to her eyes.

Kidlit Celebrates Women's History Month hosts special guest blogger Kristy Dempsey -- the author of A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream. What a treat! Hear from the author herself about her inspiration and experience writing the book. "A Dance Like Starlight is my song of thanks to all the women throughout history who have shown us who we can be and have given us an example to pursue our dreams with passion," Kristy says.


At Booktalking #Kidlit, Anastasia Suen features the new picture book Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby and Christian Robinson. Josephine struggled in her early life but became a celebrated dancer and performer after moving from the United States to Paris in the 1920's. Anastasia's post includes a snippet of text from the book, which is written in free verse. It also includes a book trailer and plenty of examples of the book's illustrations, which are stunning.


Maria from Maria's Movers shares some creative activities to go with the picture book The Squiggle by Carole Lexa Schaefer and Pierr Morgan. With her younger students, Maria used long colorful strings (as squiggles) to explore some of the ideas from the book, and with her older students she made up string dances!


And finally, don't forget to check out the March Book to Boogie post at the Library as Incubator Project. Dance educator Liz Vacco shares movement ideas to go with the classic picture book Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh. She includes ideas for both younger and older students and recommends music to go with the movement!

Welcome to the February Read & Romp Roundup! As usual, we have a nice mix of submissions this month, including some poetry. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the reading -- which will hopefully lead to some romping as well!


Amy at Picture-Book-a-Day is back to share a short review of the new picture book A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey and Floyd Cooper. The book is set in the 1950's and tells the story of a fictional African-American girl who sees the first "colored" prima ballerina --Janet Collins -- perform. The review is part of a roundup that includes some other recent picture books:  Don't Play with Your Food, Mr. Flux, and Yellow is My Color Star.


Amy was also featured in the February Book to Boogie post at The Library as Incubator Project. In her post, she summarizes the picture book Move! by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins and describes her ideas for using it to inspire movement during library story time.


Elly at Yoga & Creative Movement with Elly suggests retelling the classic picture book Fortunately (by Remy Charlip) through movement games and yoga poses. She also suggests having kids tell, act out, or write their own story in a "fortunately…unfortunately" format. Check out her post for all the details!


Kathleen at Wild Things Yoga is a kindred spirit with a love for picture books and movement, especially yoga. This month she shares a lesson plan -- a shorter version for preschoolers and kindergartners and a longer version for first and second graders -- for combining yoga with the picture book The Leopard's Drum by Jessica Souhami. The book, which is a West African tale about a leopard who doesn't want to share a huge drum he makes, also lends itself to discussions about fairness and problem solving.

And last but not least, two guest dance educators join Maria's Movers to share their experiences using different kinds of poetry in their creative movement classes. Becca Beck and Kerry Bevens discuss building dances around poems, using poems as warm-ups, exploring nursery rhymes in class, and more!

Happy Poetry Friday! This poem's an original that was published in the February 2014 issue of Highlights High Five magazine, posted here with permission from Highlights for Children, Inc. It's an action rhyme, recited to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot," but with a snow-themed twist. After you read this post, you can check out Karen Edmisten's blog for more Poetry Friday fun!

Here's the January Read & Romp Roundup for your weekend reading…especially those of you who are stuck inside because of the rain or snow. There are some real goodies in this roundup, so enjoy!


At OMazing Kids, Angela shares two new additions to her collection of snow-themed picture books. Ladybug Girl and the Big Snow is the newest book in the popular Ladybug Girl series by David Soman and Jacky Davis. And One-Dog Sleigh, by Mary Casanova and Ard Hoyt, is a fun rhyming book about a whole bunch of animals squeezing into a single sleigh. Read Angela's post for her ideas on which yoga poses go best with the books!


To keep with the winter theme, Yoga & Creative Movement with Elly provides some yoga-inspired winter activities to keep your little ones busy if they are cooped up inside. Her post includes a short poem about a melting snowman, which would be great inspiration for some creative movement!


Reshama at Stacking Books posted about the new picture book Penguin Cha-Cha by author and illustrator Kristi Valiant. The book's main character, Julia, is sure she saw the penguins at the zoo dancing, but they just don't seem to want to do it again…at least not while anyone is watching. Read Reshama's post to hear more about how Julia tries to get the penguins to dance and to see some gorgeous illustrations from the book!


I'm so happy that Marta from A Bilingual Baby joined us again, this time with a post -- in both English and Spanish -- about a unique picture book version of The Nutcracker. Published by Usborne Children's Books with illustrations by Anna Luraschi, this book is recommended for preschool-age children, who will especially love pressing the buttons on the right-hand side of the book to hear different Nutcracker tunes by Tchaikovsky!


Dance educator Maria Hanley wrote two blog posts related to picture books and creative movement in January. Her contribution to the Book to Boogie series for the Library as Incubator Project discusses how to incorporate movement into story time with the classic picture book The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd. On her own blog, Maria's Movers, Maria shares movement ideas to go with the rhyming picture book Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows and Kurt Cyrus.


And last but not least, Renee at Mother Daughter Book Reviews is signing bloggers up for a blog tour in March 2014 for the new picture book Good Night, Animal World. The book is the newest in a series of Kids Yoga Stories written by yoga instructor Giselle Shardlow with illustrations by Emily Gedzyk. Sign up for the tour if you want to join the fun!

Read It. Move It. Share It. 
I'm so happy that dance educator Maria Hanley from Maria's Movers and I are renewing our collaboration in 2014. I'm not yet sure how often we'll be posting together, but when we do, we'll be sharing our experiences with picture books I recommend for Maria to use in her creative movement classes in New York. Our January book is Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows and Kurt Cyrus!


With so many parts of the country being pounded by snow and surrounded by cold this winter, hibernation is starting to sound like a really good idea! Hibernation Station, written by Michelle Meadows with illustrations by Kurt Cyrus, provides plenty of opportunities for little ones to explore the concept of hibernation and pretend to be animals gathering food and preparing for their own winter's naps.

I actually haven't read too many picture books about hibernation, but this one has a twist that I can't imagine has been done before. Instead of searching for places to hibernate outside, the animals in this book -- already dressed in their finest cold-weather pajamas -- all board a special "hibernation" train that will carry them through the forest during the winter months…


According to the illustrations, but not mentioned in the text, each car of the train is made out of a log that is full of compartments for different types of animals -- squirrels, frogs, raccoons, skunks, and more. But before the animals get comfortable in their new winter homes, there are a few problems they must overcome...


As the train rolls through the forest, the illustrations show the season changing from fall to winter. By the end of the book, the snow is really coming down! And, as you might have guessed, the animals do solve their problems and finally get some shut-eye.

In a nutshell, if you make a book full of perfect rhymes, cute furry animals in pajamas, and a train -- like this one -- then it's bound to put smiles on the faces of little ones. Let's see what Maria came up with in the dance studio to make those smiles even bigger! You can read her ideas here.

Here, finally, is the November Read & Romp Roundup for you to enjoy over the next few weeks. Like last year, I'll be skipping a December roundup because of the sheer business of this time of year, but look out for the next call for submissions in early January. Maria from Maria's Movers and I are also planning a "Read It. Move It. Share It" post for January. It's been a while since we've collaborated, so I'm looking forward to picking up our series again in the new year. Happy holidays, everyone!!


Marta from A Bilingual Baby features two yoga-inspired picture books by Giselle Shardlow and Emily Gedyzyk. The first is The ABC's of Australian Animals: An Interactive Kids Yoga Book. You can read all about it in Spanish on Marta's blog! The second is Sophia's Jungle Adventure: A Fun and Educational Kids Yoga Story. In her post, Marta includes a link to a YouTube video about the book, in which a young girl named Sophia explores Costa Rica through yoga poses. Marta, who has been using the books to do yoga with her son, joins us from Barcelona, Spain!


At Story Snug, based in Germany, Catherine features the all-time classic Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees. She recommends using the book to stimulate discussions on friendship and originality. She also recommends buying the book's accompanying CD, which has what she refers to as a fun "calypso jungle rhythm"! On Catherine's post, you can also find out how you can use colored paper, finger paints, and wool to create portraits of the book's main character, Gerald. So adorable!


If you haven't heard about the new picture book Penguin Cha-Cha by Kristi Valiant, now is your chance! Here on her blog, Kristi discusses the importance of reading with children at home and offers tips to help cultivate the love of reading. The post also links to lots of information about Penguin Cha-Cha, including a free activity kit that goes with the book. Congratulations on the book's launch, Kristi!


In November, Angela at OMazing Kids hosted a giveaway of the new picture book Colors for Zena by Monica Wellington. Although the giveaway's no longer open, you can still read all about this book plus two others by the same author/illustrator: Apple Farmer Annie and the coloring book Color and Cook Healthy Snacks. In her post, Angela shares all the reasons she likes these books. She also shares a collection of yoga poses to go along with Apple Farmer Annie!



Elly from Little Friends shares a yoga and creative movement class inspired by the Nutcracker. Intended for children ages 5 to 12, Elly's lesson plan goes chronologically through the ballet and presents yoga poses to go along with most of the main scenes, including the party scene, the battle with the Mouse King, and the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. With photos and musical recommendations to go with almost every pose, this post is a perfect one to enjoy over the holidays!

I have a feeling that a lot of you know little girls and boys who love both ballet and crafts. And if you do, then I have a feeling you will especially enjoy hearing from our special guest today -- Vanessa Salgado! Vanessa is an accomplished dancer, dance educator, and visual artist who has combined her unique talents to create Crafterina -- who, you will find out in the following interview with Vanessa, is much more than a character in a book!

How did you come up with the idea of Crafterina?

After teaching children's dance classes across New York City for a number of years, I always seemed to encounter the same question from parents: what can we practice at home to make my child a better dancer? My answer always surprised them: don't practice the classroom exercises at home -- instead, expose your child to the arts, encourage them to play, read stories together, and share with them a love of dance. Eventually, after realizing that parents may need a bit of help encouraging creative thinking and moving at home, I was inspired to combine my dancing, illustrating, and teaching skills to create Crafterina.


Crafterina is a storybook, craft book, and dance lesson in one. When I was developing the character, I wanted to inspire young thinkers and movers to use their imaginations to create art and learn more about the world around them. I understood great value in interdisciplinary learning, and I believe Crafterina’s Read-Create-Dance approach is the secret to achieving our inspiring tagline of CREATE YOUR DREAM. This is the big lesson behind Crafterina: you can be anything you want to be and you have the power to make it happen!


Crafterina is such a unique idea! When you were creating her, did you envision how the book and the crafts might be used in a home setting?

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend and have a little time left to read the August Read & Romp Roundup, which is tiny but tantalizing this time around. Thanks to all who contributed. I really do love hearing all the ways you use picture book and poetry to get the little ones in your life moving...


Catherine at Story Snug reviews the picture book Doing the Animal Bop by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner. The book is full of animals, bold and colorful illustrations, and -- as you might expect -- dance moves. According to Catherine, "the rhyming text flows beautifully and is very easy to read. However, to get the full Animal Bop experience, the accompanying CD is a must!"


At Omazing Kids, Angela shares one of her favorite picture books to help kids learn about feelings -- My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. In her post, Angela offers a supply list for a wonderful yoga class that incorporates music, arts and crafts, scarves for movement activities, and yoga poses for each animal in the book. Her ideas could also work in dance class, a library story time, or at home, so take a look!

Fall is in full swing, and hopefully the posts in the October Read & Romp Roundup will get you and your little ones swinging as well! There are even a couple posts with fall themes, including a "fa-boo-lous" Halloween rhyme to keep the holiday spirit alive. Here we go...


At Maria's Movers, Maria describes how she used a short poem about falling leaves with her 4- to 6-year-old dance students. She hung the poem on the wall, read through it, and then led a creative movement exercise based on the poem. For the 5- and 6-year-olds, she even separated them into groups and let them experiment with their own choreography! My favorite part of the poem is how the wind sends the leaves "dancing to the sky."


Lynelle from Flower Girl World introduces the picture book Camellia the Fabulous Flower Girl from her Flower Girl World series of children's books. Each book focuses on a different flower girl. One is a fashion model. Another is a cowgirl. There's even a detective among the group. So can you guess what Camellia might be? She's a ballerina! Check out Flower Girl World to learn more about the series, which also includes chapter books, and for information about preparing little girls for participating in a wedding.


At Picture Books Help Kids Soar, Vivian shares the 96-word rhyme "Halloween Dance Party Countdown" about dancing zombies, goblins, monsters, and more! The rhyme won an honorable mention in the annual Halloweensie Contest run by children's author Susanna Leonard Hill. Congratulations, Vivian!


Angela at OMazing Kids shares another fabulous post about how she incorporates picture books into her yoga and speech-language therapy sessions for kids. This month she explores I Love Monkey by Suzanne Kaufmann -- an adorable book about the importance of being yourself. Check out Angela's post for ideas on yoga poses, props, games, crafts, and music to go with the book -- and to see photos of the cute bendable sock monkey figurines she found!


I always look forward to posts from Reshama at Stacking Books about picture books with unique movement themes. This month, she shares a review of the new picture book Mitchell Goes Bowling by Hallie Durand and Tony Fucile. "Mitchell Goes Bowling is a HILARIOUS story of a four-year-old and how his dad combats, with an AMAZING amount of patience, a simple every-day problem of keeping his son's energy in check," says Reshama. Apparently Mitchell loves to knock things down!


And finally, I hope you will check out the October Book to Boogie post on the Library as Incubator Project website, where dance educator Jill Homan Randall discusses the picture book Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia. Dig, mix, lift, and tip along with Jill as she shares her ideas for using this book to get kids moving during library story time!

Fall is slowly creeping in, with the leaves starting to change color and Halloween just around the corner. Thanks for all of your submissions to the September Read & Romp Roundup, which includes plenty of picture books -- both classic and new -- to keep the little ones moving as the cold air sets in this season. Enjoy!


Elly from Yoga with Elly shares two posts with us this month! In the first post, her beautiful writing explains how the classic book Harold and the Purple Crayon sparked her imagination as a child and how she strives to encourage that same magical sense of imagination in her young yoga students. She also includes a full lesson plan for the book, including both yoga and creative movement ideas.


Elly's second post features the new picture book Some Monsters Are Different by David Milgrim, including the lesson plan she used with the book in a recent yoga class for 4- and 5-year-olds. The book -- which addresses differences in appearance, style, and other characteristics -- was perfect for her weekly theme on making friends.


At OMazing Kids, Angela shares another new book -- A Little Bit of Oomph! by Barney Saltzberg. "It teaches the valuable lesson of throwing your heart into whatever you're doing and trying just a little bit harder -- because with a little extra effort and a little bit of oomph, you can make anything beautiful," says Angela. Check out her post to see the activity sheets she created to go with the book, which "moves" all by itself. Lots of flaps, spinning circles, pull tabs, and more!


Zoe at Playing by the Book shares a picture book by debut author and illustrator Alice V. Lickens that is sure to get your little ones up and moving. In Zoe's words, Can You Dance to the Boogaloo? is "essentially an illustrated poem about the joys of making music and dancing." Definitely check out Zoe's post for lots of fun surprises, including videos and ideas for making musical instruments at home!


Barb at Bookworm Yoga features a different picture book each month, and Exclamation Mark (also known as "!") by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld was her September pick. Her post includes a sequence of yoga poses to go with the themes and phrases from the book: exclamation mark, full stop, deflated, and "I've got it!"


Children's author Susanna Leonard Hill shares a wonderful interview with debut author Charlotte Gunnufson, who's picture book Halloween Hustle was just published in September. Hear all about Charlotte's journey to publication and the creative ways she is helping to market the book. Plus check out the book's awesome trailer!


And finally, over at the Library as Incubator Project, the Book to Boogie post for September was written by dance educator Liz Vacco about the picture book Fortunately by Remy Charlip. Liz has been using this classic book with her young dance students for years, so she has lots of ideas to share for integrating movement into a reading of the book at story time!

We’re settling into our new town, new neighborhood, and new school here in California, after moving here a few months ago. One of the highlights so far was the Walk-a-Thon at the school last night, when kindergartners through fifth graders spent up to four hours making laps around the school’s field to raise money for school activities and educational programs. There were also lots of treats at the event for both the parents and the children, including fun food, great music, and a silent auction.