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!
Have you heard Joe Bruchac tell a story? He's got a terrific voice for telling stories. As I read Rabbit's Snow Dance, I was able to play that voice in my head as Rabbit says:
"I want snow," he said. "I want it, I want it, I want it right now!"
Rabbit's Snow Dance is by Joe and his son, James. And, I gotta say, it is absolutely delightful!
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Rabbit's Snow Dance is absolutely delightful!
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Rabbit, you see, wants the tasty leaves and buds at the top of the trees. He can't reach them, but he knows that if there was a lot of snow on the ground, he could stand on it and get those tasty treats. He knows a snow dance, too, and thinks he'll sing the song and do the dance, even though it isn't the right season to do it...
The combination of the Bruchac's storytelling and Jeff Newman's illustrations works perfectly. Here's the cover:
On the cover, Rabbit is playing a hand drum. Notice the drumstick in his left paw? Newman obviously did some research, or, maybe he knows from experience that Native peoples do not play a drum with a bare hand. So many illustrators get that wrong! Newman got it right.
Rabbit's Snow Dance, we learn on the title page inside, is a traditional Iroquois story. Back in 1993, Betsy Hearne developed a Source Note Countdown as part of her article,
"Cite the Source: Reducing Cultural Chaos in Picture Books, Part 1." In model source notes, we'd learn just where the story came from, when and how it ought to be told (its cultural context), and, how the teller changed it from the version he or she heard/read it from. We don't have any of that in
Rabbit's Snow Dance. Joe has provided it for other books. I wrote to a storyteller a couple of years ago. He told me that publisher's don't want to give authors space for that information. If that is the status of model notes right now, I think we're all losing out. There are, for example, six different tribal nations within the Iroquois: Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca, Tuscarora, Mohawk, and Cayuga. Do they share this story? Or, does it belong to one in particular?
That said, I do think
Rabbit's Snow Dance has a lot to offer as a read-aloud and highly recommend it. I'll look around for some source info and share it when I get it. Perhaps you can print it out and insert it yourself.
Details!Rabbit's Snow DayAs told by James and Joseph Bruchac
Illustrated by Jeff Newman
Published by Dial, in 2012.
Order it from your favorite independent bookseller right away so you'll have it for the snowtimes that are upon us---not because of Rabbit's dance, but because its Wintertime. Snowtime!
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.
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!
Honk is a delightful book, especially for a child interested in dance. The illustrations are bright, colorful and beautifully drawn. I loved the story, it's touching, funny and warm. I hope you like it too.
The Equation
Thanks so stopping by, Henry! I'm looking forward to reading it. Will be a new author for me, but I'm familiar with Henry Cole's work. Unfortunately, our local library doesn't have it, so I'll have to look elsewhere. Darn!
Balancing Act looks like a very nice book. Will check it out for sure. And thanks for sharing this interesting list. We are always looking for good reads.
-Reshama
www.stackingbooks.com
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Hi, Reshama. Thanks for stopping by. I just took a look at your site, and it is gorgeous!!