Catty Jane Who Loved to Dance

PreS-Gr 1—Catty Jane was born to dance. When she's old enough, she enrolls at Mrs. Herron's Dance Academy where she learns that ballet takes a lot of practice. On her way home from class, the kitten meets Froggy, who shows her his vaulting and somersaulting moves. It doesn't look anything like ballet and Catty Jane tells him so. The two pals sit in angry silence until friends come along and suggest a dance party. Catty Jane wants nothing to do with that kind of dancing either. But when she overhears the fun her friends are having, and her mom gives her an encouraging nudge, Catty Jane joins the crowd and has a good time. Perhaps it is not the kind of dancing that matters, but that you get up and move. The cartoon pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations match the mood of the anthropomorphic characters. However, the small font size and tight spacing of the text are an odd fit and throw off the balance of the images. For fans of Mo Willems's Elephants Cannot Dance! (Hyperion, 2009), Doreen Cronin's Wiggle (S & S, 2005), Elizabeth Winthrop's Dumpy La Rue (Holt, 2001), and Katharine Holabird's Angelina Ballerina, this title will keep kids' toes moving.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA