Shall We Dance?

Gr 2-5–Springboks pronk, cottontails tumble, and turtle tickle. Those are just some of the ways animals attract their partners. This volume provides fun and informative insights into the elaborate ways different species get the attention of the opposite sex. Each illustration is paired with a brief explanation of the behavior. Bald eagles, for example, lock talons and then cartwheel through the air, breaking apart before hitting the ground. Humpback whales twist and twirl and dive around each other. The role of courtship in sexual reproduction is handled delicately, with the text explaining that the animals need to find mates in order to have babies. Most of the animals included dance or display as part of their courtship rituals, although there are a few exceptions. Safika lemurs seem as if they are dancing as they move across the forest floor from tree to tree. A dolphin’s graceful leap out of the water may be for dominance or simply playtime. Baby cranes even practice pirouettes for later in life. The illustrations are bold and colorful, displaying the animals attractively on white backgrounds. The animals, especially colorful ones like pink flamingos and orange-patterned mandarin fish, pop off the pages.