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My Friend Maya Loves to Dance

by Eric Velasquez
32p. 978-0-81098-328-1.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 3 A delightful story in which a girl, unseen until the end, tells of her friend Maya's love of dance. Whether dressed in a leotard and tutu, or a shirt and jeans, or wearing kente cloth, "Maya dances with grace/And a look of pride on her face." Full-page, fluid illustrations, rendered in oil on watercolor paper, feature a willowy, long-limbed African-American child who dances to the music of jazz, blues, rap, gospel, Bach, and reggae. When she taps "on slick wooden floors," wearing a red vest, gray pants, white gloves, and a hat, she's accompanied by four boys similarly costumed. Maya even performs at the mall for a small audience that includes the narrator, a girl in a wheelchair. The last, touching page reveals Maya and her friend smiling at readers. A simple, sweet story about music, dance, and friendship."Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.
An offstage (until the last page) narrator tells readers about her friend Maya, a young ballet dancer. The text in rhyme describes how "music moves Maya," whether it's classical, jazz, gospel, or reggae. Soft illustrations capture the joy of dance and finally display our narrator, who is in a wheelchair but experiences her own satisfaction--through her drawing.

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