I Dance

PreS-K–This latest installment in the “I Like to Read” series highlights traditional folk dances from the Philippines, including the tinikling, itik itik, and others. The text reads like a free verse poem and flows like a dance itself, with each page explaining a different dance. Repeated words and phrases, like “I dance” create a rhythm. At most each page has six words, leaving plenty of room for the beautiful illustrations, which help readers identify words as well. For example, the spread that says “I dance like a fish” has fish swimming behind the dancer. Costumes, backgrounds, and featured dancers come alive with bright colors, allowing the large black text to stand out. Children will hopefully try to mimic the dances; perhaps a good storytime activity would be to try and dance as a duck, or a fish, or simply with a friend, just like in the pictures. Front matter gives specific information involving reading level and shares an author’s note listing all the dances.