Feel the Beat: Dance Poems that Zing from Salsa to Swing

by Marilyn Singer, Kristi Valiant (Illustrator)

Overview

An irresistible book of poems about dancing that mimic the rhythms of social dances from cha-cha to two-step, by the acclaimed author of Mirror Mirror

Marilyn Singer has crafted a vibrant collection of poems celebrating all forms of social dance from samba and salsa to tango and hip-hop. The rhythm of each poem mimics the beat of the dances’ steps. Together with Kristi Valiant’s dynamic illustrations, the poems create a window to all the ways dance enters our lives and exists throughout many cultures. This ingenious collection will inspire readers to get up and move!

Included with the book is an audio CD of the author reading each poem accompanied by original music from composer Jonathon Roberts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803740211
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/07/2017
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	473,787
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	490L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Marilyn Singer is an award-winning author of more than 90 children's books in a wide variety of genres. She was the 2015 winner of the NCTE Excellence in Poetry for Children Award. She, her husband, and their standard poodle divide their time between Brooklyn and Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Kristi Valiant is the illustrator of Pretty Minnie in Paris, Pretty Minnie in Hollywood, the Little Wings chapter book series, and Penguin Cha-Cha, which she wrote and illustrated. She graduated magna cum laude from Columbus College of Art & Design. Kristi lives (and dances!) in Indiana with her husband and daughters.

Editorial Reviews

01/16/2017
Singer (Miss Muffet, or What Came After) taps into the rhythms of the cha-cha, conga, waltz, and other dances in more than a dozen upbeat poems. “No fumbling, no bumbling,/ my pops is tops at tumbling./ He’s elastic, so fantastic./ Papa’s so gymnastic!” gushes a boy about his breakdancing father. In kinetic scenes, Valiant (the Pretty Minnie books) captures lithe tangoers on a cobblestone street, wedding guests dancing the bhangra, and enthusiastic patrons swinging outside a library: “Today we read about finance,/ looked up the capital of France./ We found a book about a pug./ But we’re here to jitterbug.” It’s a celebration of the variety and global diversity of dance, and of how it can unite communities. Singer reads the poems, with musical accompaniment, on an included CD. Ages 5–8. Illustrator’s agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"The beautiful illustrations exude the energy ofthe dancers as they twirl and spin across the pages, and the happy array of faces reflects the wide range ofcultures and traditions that the poems draw upon. The message about how music and dance can unite us isa happy and timely one." —Booklist

"An absolute delight to read, these poems will have children and adults moving to the beat. A charming addition to poetry and music collections" —School Library Journal

"A celebration of the variety and global diversity of dance, and of how it can unite communities."  —Publishers Weekly

"Skilled poet Singer varies her verse form according to the featured dance...This has additional potential for reading aloud to much younger listeners to broaden out dance topics from the usual run of ballet, ballet, ballet and to introduce some opportunities to get up and cut a rug." —BCCB

From the Publisher

01/01/2017
K-Gr 3—Poetry master Singer is back with another unique picture book poetry collection, this time focusing on different styles of dance, from the cha-cha to the bhangra, and the square dance to the samba. The poems are all narrated by different characters, mostly children, participating in or observing a dance style. The language and rhythm are precise, and each selection is written to the beat of that dance style without a single misstep. The text simply begs to be read aloud. The poems are told from the perspectives of those nervous to dance, those amazed by a dancer's agility and grace, and those downright disgusted with a gym class requirement: "I'm flunking out of square dance!" Valiant's visuals are superb. Most pages contain full, vividly colored spreads with overlaid text. The dancers are illustrated with joy, in a playful style reminiscent of that of Vanessa Brantley-Newton, from the conga flash mob at the mall to the bird's-eye view of the concentric circles of the hora. The characters' expressions are full of life, and there is diversity of race and age reflected on every page. The book closes with short and understandable explanations of each dance and its rhythm. A CD is also included. VERDICT An absolute delight to read, these poems will have children and adults moving to the beat. A charming addition to poetry and music collections.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge PublicLibrary, MA

School Library Journal

2016-11-23
Singer explores diverse dance styles through poetry. The book opens with two cleverly written companion poems that mirror each other. The playfulness of these poems is visually represented with illustrations of children flipping over each other in a swing-style move. The following 15 poems are titled after different dance forms from around the world, including hip-hop, salsa, two-step, and bhangra. Each poem is written with the rhythm and beat common to the dance style being described. Though this form is inventive, the poems themselves can be somewhat dull, often focusing on kids struggling to learn the various dances themselves or watching another person perform them well. Moreover, the beat may be difficult to find for readers who are not familiar with the various dances, rendering the technique ineffective, though a CD that accompanies the book may help with this. The energetic illustrations enliven the poems themselves, embracing varied cultures and costumes and employing a variety of perspectives to highlight the distinctive personality of each dance. Brief notes at the end present basic information about each dance style's origins and traditional use. Though some poems fall flat, overall it's an effective introduction to the merriment of dance enjoyed by diverse cultures the world over. (notes) (Picture book/poetry. 6-11)

Kirkus Reviews