Luna Loves Dance

PreS-Gr 3–Luna loves to dance, but when she goes to her first dance class, she falls and is not invited to join. She worries that she will never be a real dancer. The loving family—its members have many shades of skin—that surrounds her keeps encouraging her until she finds the joy in dancing once again. The art really shines in this sweet story; the pictures are vivid and brightly colored with lots of details in a wide variety of cultural settings, including a Broadway musical, an Afro-Caribbean street festival, and the grandparents’ living room. The overarching theme of persistence and doing the things that make you happy will ring true with many. There is also a consistent metaphorical aspect to the story about how Luna doesn’t see the colors as vividly when she’s not dancing, and this could make a a good bridge to discussion about figurative language.