Disabled girl triumphs when she finds way to dance

 

I Will Dance

Written by Nancy Bo Flood and illustrated by Julianna Swaney

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2020

Eva dreams of dancing. She can think of nothing else.

At her birthday party, she has only one wish: a pink tutu to dance in.

She watches other dancers and imagines joining them.

But she has cerebral palsy. She can hardly move. She is in a wheelchair and can only move her head, her arms, and her fingers.

Mom tells her to imagine she is dancing. She doesn’t want to imagine; she wants to dance.

Her teacher tells her to pretend she is dancing. She doesn’t want to pretend; she wants to dance.

“I want to feel the music, sway, swing, fly over and under. Together. Not alone,” she says.

Then one day, Mom sees an ad in the newspaper, “Audition for Young Dancers --- all abilities, all ages. All are welcome.”

Eva is afraid. Maybe the others will stare and whisper. They’ll say she can’t move, she can’t dance.

But she reads again, “all abilities, all ages.” She decides to try. She and Mom go to the dance studio. There she sees others with canes, crutches, walkers, and wheels.

At first, she is nervous again and turns away, but the others reach toward her and welcome her. The instructor dances up to her, touches her, and nods.

She turns to the person next to her and swirls her fingers around. He reaches, echoing her movement, adds one of his own and passes the torch until the circle is complete. 

The instructor helps the students listen to the rhythm in the music. The students partner up and move across the floor, mirroring each other. They dance.

They continue to try different moves, moving across the smooth, wooden floor. They practice again and again.

Finally, they perform.

“Lights dim. A hush falls. Music begins, swells. I count the beats.”

They swirl and glide across the floor. They dance! The lights pour over them.

“I roar, spin my chair, circle around, soar.”

After the dance is over, they line up at the front of the stage. Eva hears clapping, whistles, and cheers.

“For me, for all of us, together: Dancers. Not imagine. Not pretend. Not alone. I dance!”

The joyful ending is satisfying. Children learn to see disabled people differently. Also, the story encourages them to believe in themselves, and not to give up on their dreams.

The watercolor illustrations by Julianna Swaney move the story along and help communicate Eva’s emotions.  

About the Author

Nancy Bo Flood has worked with families and educators on the Pacific island of Saipan to develop educational programs for students with disabilities. She is the author of award-winning books including “Warriors in the Crossfire,” “Cowboy Up!: Ride the Navajo Rodeo,” and “Soldier Sister, Fly Home.” She has a PhD in experimental psychology and child development. She lives in Colorado. Visit her at nancyboflood.com.

About the Illustrator

Julianna Swaney is an illustrator whose delicate watercolor paintings are inspired by whimsical details of daily life and a childhood spent outside in nature. She has illustrated many books including "Dr. Jo: How Sara Josephine Baker Saved the Lives of America's Children," by Monica Kulling and the New York Times bestselling "We Are the Gardeners," by Joanna Gaines. She lives in Portland, Ore. Visit her at juliannaswaney.com. 

Story focuses on cat’s adventure when family sleeps

 Only the Cat Saw

By Ashley Wolff

Beach Lane Books, 2020

“Only the Cat Saw” is a beautifully illustrated read-aloud for children. All the colorful illustrations are full-page or double-page spreads. Looking at the pictures is a joy.

The story is simple. It tells about a young, brown-skinned family going through their evening and nighttime routines. While they are busy eating dinner, giving young Tessa a bath, reading before bed, nursing baby Sam, and sleeping, their marmalade-colored tabby cat explores the farm.

We go back and forth between the family and the cat. We learn about each activity the mom, dad, sister Tessa, and baby Sam does. Then the story repeats the refrain, “So only the cat saw …” Children are invited to look at the double-page spreads and complete the sentence again and again.

When the family eats dinner, the cat gazes outside at the sheep.

Tessa has finished her bath and Father is singing to Sam. The cat plays with fireflies.

Mother and Father read, while Tessa reads under her covers. Meanwhile, the cat watches an owl hunt a mouse. 

The story continues as the cat watches a rainstorm from the porch and sees the sunrise from the roof. In the morning, the perspective shifts to Tessa as she watches the cat sleep through a window. Her mom is busy cracking eggs and dad is feeding Sam.

The author Ashley Wolff has set new illustrations to a story she first published in 1985. Several modern adaptations include how the family is ethnic and the father shares in housework and childcare. The intimacy of the story is enhanced with pictures of the mother nursing her baby and Tessa sitting on the toilet.     

About the Author-Illustrator

Ashley Wolff is a children's book author and illustrator who lives in San Francisco, CA. She has authored or illustrated over 40 books. She loves to be outdoors, whether gardening, watching birds, or hiking and skiing. She is married to a newspaper reporter and the mother of two teenage boys and a border collie named Lucy. Visit her at ashleywolff.com.

 

Migrant children face dangers, share hope for better life

 

A Journey Toward Hope

Written by Victor Hinojosa and Coert Voorhees and illustrated by Susan Guevara

Six Foot Press, 2020

Four children from different Central American countries join forces during their long and perilous journey to America in “A Journey Toward Hope.” They are “unaccompanied minors,” but they find strength in one another.

Ten-year-old Alessandra of Guatemala and 14-year-old Rodrigo of Honduras intend to rejoin their parents, who came to America seeking a better life for their families. Laura, 13, and her brother, Nando, 7, of El Salvador plan to live with their aunt and uncle. Their parents are sending them to America so they will have better lives.

Award-winning illustrator Susan Guevara brings the story to life with beautiful, colorful two-page spreads. She adds Central-American folk art-influenced details to her artwork.

“I’m coming to meet you, Mama,” whispers Alessandra as she begins her journey.

Nando cries and says he does not want to leave. His sister Laura comforts him.

”I’ll be with you, Nando,” she says. “We can be strong together.”

Rodrigo leaves a note on his sleeping little sister’s bed before he leaves. He tells her that soon the whole family will be together and be happy.

Alessandra and Rodrigo meet in El Ceibo as they are about to cross into Mexico. Right away, both sense that they can trust one another. 

Soon the two of them meet Laura and Nando. Then the four children form a team to complete their journey. 

Halfway across the Suchiate River, Laura slips off the raft and tumbles into the rolling water. A stranger rescues her. Nando hugs her tightly.

The four children continue to face hunger and danger along the way, but they also enjoy the kindness of strangers and the friendship of one another. Together they dream and hope for bright futures. The author says Alessandra will become an artist, Rodrigo will be a doctor, Laura will be a chef, and Nando will be a track star.

This book is a collaboration between Baylor professor Victor Hinojosa, his students, and children’s author Coert Voorhees. Every year, about 50,000 unaccompanied minors arrive at the U.S. – Mexico border seeking asylum and related visas. Most of them are fleeing poverty and violence in Central America’s Northern Triangle (Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala}. Hinojosa and his students wanted to tell their story to children.

Four pages of backmatter in the book tell more about the problems raised by the book, the Global Hunger and Migration Project at Baylor University, and illustrator Guevara’s folk art-influenced artwork.   

“A Journey Toward Hope” is a moving story and an important one, especially in the current political climate. It will help children and adults alike better understand the plight of migrant children.

 

About the Authors

Victor Hinojosa, PhD, is an associate professor of political science in the Honors Program at Baylor University. His primary research is in Latin American politics and U.S. – Latin American relations. He directs the Global Hunger and Migration Project, a social innovation laboratory at the Baylor University Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty. In this project, faculty and students address the challenges of child migration from Mexico and the Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador). Dr. Hinojosa lives in Waco, TX.

Coert Voorhees is the author of the Grammaropolis and Storm Wranglers children’s book series. He also wrote the novels “On the Free, In Too Deep,” a Junior Library Guild selection; “Lucky Fools,” a Junior Library Guild selection; and “The Brothers Torres,” which was named to the ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults.

About the Illustrator

Susan Guevara has illustrated more than 20 children’s books including the best-selling “Chato’s Kitchen.” She is two-time winner of the Pura Belpre Award. Visit her at susanguevara.com.