I Wish I Could...Dance!

PreS-K—Readable texts, patterned plots, and believable animal characters intermingle to create books fitting for young audiences. Each volume concludes with a useful notes section for parents and teachers that includes follow-up questions and literacy extensions. In Dance, a penguin looking for dance moves to perform at an upcoming zoo dance tries steps suggested by monkeys and flamingoes. It's the hippos with their line dance that lead to his success. An inquisitive pig finds a book in Read. He searches for a friend to help him read it; instead, the animals come up with other uses for it. A boy eventually reads the story to the pig and the other farm animals as they peer around a barn door. In Roar, a lion cub produces a "squeak" instead of a "roar." He finds his voice and self-confidence with the assistance of a mouse. Lastly, a bear cub frightened by nighttime sounds in Sleep learns bravery after encounters with an owl, a raccoon, and a moose. Softly colored artwork adds charming visual details with comical touches, like the bear cub sleeping on the moose's antlers. Suitable as read-alouds or to spark discussion with young children.—Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron, OH