When Langston Dances

by Kaija Langley, Keith Mallett (Illustrator)

Overview

A young Black boy dreams of dancing in this exuberant, buoyant picture book celebrating the beauty of dance, and the wonder of Black Boy Joy—perfect for fans of Firebird and Crown!

Langston likes basketball okay, but what he loves is to dance—ever since he saw the Alvin Ailey Dance Company perform. He longs to twirl into a pirouette, whirl into a piqué. He wants to arabesque and attitude, grand battement and grand jeté. When he walks, the whole street is his stage.

With his neighborhood cheering him on, will Langston achieve his dream?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534485198
Publisher:	Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Born and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, Kaija Langley has been writing since she fell in love with words at age seven. She knew she was onto something when she wrote her first poem and her grade school classmates thought she’d copied it from a book! A proud alumna of Morgan State University, a historically black college and university in Baltimore, Maryland, she received her MFA in fiction from St. Mary’s College of California in 2005. She’s called many places home over the years—New Jersey, Maryland, DC, California, Louisiana—and currently lives, writes, and plays in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her two bonsai and her beloved.

Keith Mallett has been drawing and painting for as long as he can remember. The NAACP Image Award-nominated artist and designer has created posters and fine art prints for more than forty years. As guest artist, he crafted the 2017 Google Doodle commemorating Martin Luther King Day. Keith Lives in San Diego with his wife and German Shepherd.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/06/2021

“Langston liked basketball, but he adored ballet.” A Black boy recognizes his love of ballet after his mother takes him to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. When, post-performance, Langston asks whether he, too, could dance like that, his mother offers an encouraging response: “You can do whatever you set your mind to doing.” Thus begins Langston’s journey toward balletic excellence in this firmly uplifting narrative. Though a child on the way to Langston’s first dance class attempts to bring the burgeoning dancer down with a gendered sneer, Langston perseveres, in spreads showcasing an engrossing flipbook-like progression of his moves. Langley utilizes plentiful dialogue and repetition to draw readers in: “And Langston danced... and danced... and danced,” the final spreads read, showing the maturing protagonist continuing to dance over the years. Mallett’s lively, realistic illustrations, characterized by airbrushed strokes and dynamic dancers of varying skin tones, help further bring the story to life. Notable is Langston’s unwavering passion for ballet—and his mother’s just as steadfast support—in this richly affirmative picture book. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 2021-07-14
What happens when a little boy who likes basketball learns that he loves ballet?

Langston, a little Black boy, is enchanted by an Alvin Ailey Dance Company performance he sees with his mother. After the performance, Langston asks, “Do you think I can dance like that?” She lovingly responds, “You can do whatever you set your mind to doing.” Langston envisions twirling and leaping, just like the dancers. However, Langston faces opposition when another boy sees him dancing and admonishes, “Boys don’t dance like that.” A bit jarred, he defends his passion and heads to his first dance class anyway. Langston is the only boy amid the pink-tutu–clad little girls. When his teacher, Ms. Marie, gives him a pair of black ballet shoes, he runs and leaps across the room in excitement. This is a tenderly told story about self-acceptance. The love and support that Langston receives from his mother serve to buoy his confidence, but it is his awareness of his passion that sustains him and pushes him to do what makes him happy: a lesson for every child. The illustrations are warm and dreamy. Langston, his mother, and the other children, depicted as racially diverse, look almost photorealistic. This book will pair equally well with Julián Is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love (2018), and I Am Every Good Thing, by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James (2020). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

The absolute embodiment of Black boy joy, this is a beautiful and important book. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews