Dance Is for Everyone

"The students in Mrs. Iraina's dance class are surprised to be joined by an unexpected visitor. They invite her to stay, because 'who would be brave enough to tell a 450-pound alligator she couldn't?" In this sweet, humorous story about acceptance, Mrs. Iraina and the class display common sense, quick thinking, and good humor. They get a supply of Alligator Chow to prevent any inappropriate snacking and devise special choreography to showcase their new friend's talents. The class, three girls and a boy, delight in dressing as a duck, a turtle, a frog, and a raccoon for their production of an original ballet, The Legend of the Swamp Queen. The alligator disappears as suddenly as she arrived, but weeks later a special map is delivered, with an invitation for the class to attend a dance performance put on by . . . an actual duck, turtle, frog, raccoon, and a whole alligator family! Bright cartoon-style illustrations, detailed with black outlines and complete with comically expressive faces and gestures, perfectly suit the humorous premise." --Booklist "When Mrs. Iraina's ballet class gets an unexpected newcomer--an alligator--the diverse cast of students are surprised but decide to welcome her. They begin to affectionately refer to her as Tanya, after a famous ballerina, but her large tail quickly becomes a problem during practice. Together the students come up with a brand-new dance that showcases Tanya and her wild tail. The dance is a huge success at the recital, and Tanya happily returns to the wild, where she continues to dance with her animal friends. The illustrations are stylized and quirky, and the plot is engaging, with jokes that adults will appreciate peppered throughout. The narrative conveys the story's message of inclusion in a subtle manner, but the book's title makes this important theme abundantly clear. VERDICT A fun read-aloud and a welcome addition to medium and large collections, best shared one-on-one or in a small group setting." --School Library Journal

"Enthusiastic new student Tanya--who happens to be an alligator--joins Mrs. Iraina's ballet class. After her show-stopping debut in the original ballet The Legend of the Swamp Queen, Tanya invites her classmates to a special encore performance. Spare text and illustrations starring a surprisingly endearing alligator make for a sweet, funny celebration of inclusiveness and dedication to dance." --Horn Book