Book Review: A Tail of Twirls
By Once Upon a Dance, illustrated by Stella Maris
Verdict:
A lovely, appealing read that encourages young readers to bring movement and dance into their daily lives, and offers multiple applications at home and in the classroom.
What is it about?
In the story, a kitten who seems to have everything she might need is seeking something more, something special that pulls at her heart. She is not sure what that special thing is, until she finds a talking mirror which gives her ballet instruction. The readers can follow the instructions and learn dance moves along with Kitt.
The book has both soft glowing illustrations for the story and small photographs of the dance poses. The readers are also encouraged to add their own creative movements to depict the story. While the mirror helps Kitt to "find her dance," the process is not without hard work. Eventually she feels "the magic of the moves," but it takes a lot of time and practice before Kitt gets her tiara and tutu and twirls. The story seems to end abruptly, but then goes on to add applications and a reward for the heroine of the story.
This story book is part of a collection that fosters movement, music, and storytelling as a part of every nurtured childhood. The collection has books for ages 3 to 16 years. This book is for the younger end of this age range, for readers around 3 to 6 years old.
Our take:
This is a very motivating book. Almost everyone will be trying classic poses and twirling with a mop after reading this. The story includes French names for the ballet poses, and a resource for pronunciation is included. The motivating ending encourages readers to share what they have learned and to apply dance in all of life. By reading this aloud, parents might find a joyful dancer and storyteller of movement in their children.
Perfect for:
This book is wonderful for anyone looking for a way to combine literacy with activity for very young children. The story is clear that anything worth doing is worth the time it takes to do it well, but every step along the way, no matter how imperfect or hard, is a good step. This lesson is good for everyone, not just dancers. Keeping up the effort is rewarding. An excellent book to read frequently to young children who need reminders about perseverance and encouragement to express themselves through movement. You will want to keep this one in your library.
Conversation starters:
How do you learn to dance?
How can you find out what you want, when you don't really know what it is?
What did it mean in the story that a talking mirror was teaching Kitt?
Why could Kitt not wear a tiara and twirl right away?
Why did Kitt have to practice poses so much?
How was being able to teach a reward?
Would you like to dance when you work?
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