When Nana Dances

by Jane Yolen, Maddison Stemple-Piatt, Priscilla Burris (Illustrator)

Overview

 This fun story is filled with the movement, energy, and laughter that comes when kids dance with their grandparents. 

This lively story will leap into the hearts of kids and their grandparents alike as it celebrates intergenerational relationships in rhyming text. Nana can make any object a dancing partner. An umbrella, a broom, even a rake! Both onstage and off, she can shimmy, she can mambo, and do the bunny hop. She's won prizes and can dance to grandpa's music or to her own beat, but nothing is more special than when grandma dances with her grandchildren.
   

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433836855
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	11/02/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jane Yolen is the author of over 400 books for children and adults. Her books, stories, and poems have won many awards including the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, three Golden Kite Awards, and the Jewish Book Award. She lives in Hatfield, MA. Visit janeyolen.com, @Jane.Yolen on Facebook, @JaneYolen on Twitter, and @JYolen on Instagram.

Maddison Stemple-Piatt is Jane’s first grandchild. Following in her Nana’s footsteps, she trained in ballet from a young age. She has earned her bachelor’s in Psychology with minors in Spanish and Dance, her master’s in Criminology and Criminal Justice, and is currently a Juris Doctor candidate. She lives in St. Petersburg, FL.

Priscilla Burris is an author-illustrator and a member of the board of advisors for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Priscilla is represented by the CAT Agency, Inc. She lives in Southern California. Visit priscillaburris.com and @PriscillaDesign on Twitter and Instagram.

 

Editorial Reviews

09/06/2021

An ode to dancing grandmothers from a range of backgrounds, this picture book celebrates the fun that Nana creates, whether she’s shake-a-shaking, shimmying, or doing the salsa. Yolen and her first grandchild, Stemple-Piatt, who both trained in ballet from a young age, join forces for this dance-centered narrative. In rhyming text, the authors highlight a variety of steps through Nanas who have seemingly professional dancing backgrounds: “She says that once—// brush, scuff, and slap—/ she crossed the stage/ with a tap-tap-tap.” Anonymous first-person narrators describe how Nana dances with them, guided by a light refrain: “When Nana dances— then whoa—Nana dances. Oh, how Nana dances with me.” Doodle-adjacent art outlined in fine black lines by Burris emphasize movement and simple expressions, showcasing mostly physically thin Nana-and-grandchild pairings of varying ability, age, and skin tone. A cadenced celebration of grandparent-grandchild relationships. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

The grandmas in this buoyant picture book love to dance (whether it’s tap, ballet, or the bunny hop), and their grandchildren love to join the fun… The colorful, jaunty illustrations feature four ethnically and culturally diverse women alternating as Nana, while the first-person text expresses their grandchildren’s thoughts and feelings. The depiction of grandparents has become less stereotypical over the years, and Burris portrays the grandmas here as fit, active women who take joy in dancing and in sharing the fun. A lively appreciation of dance as it raises the spirits and binds generations together.

Booklist

09/17/2021

PreS—This atypical celebration of the grandmother-grandchild relationship spotlights nanas who dance. For these preschoolers, spending time with a grandmother is so much more rewarding when "Nana dances with me." Latinx, Asian, Black, and white grandmothers mambo, shimmy, and tap-tap-tap while gardening, walking down the street, doing laundry, and even spending time in the rain. Readers can strut and jive along with the rhyming text: "She says that once—/brush, scuff, and slap—/she crossed the stage/with a tap-tap-tap." Easy to read and fun to say, these words aren't confined to dance—the human spirit is infectious when talents are shared with others. Black-outlined digital illustrations convey fluid motion and countenances with minimal effort. Readers can almost hear the laughter emitting from these delightful pages. While it is clear that these characters have better than average dancing skills, the relatability is undeniable. The universal lesson here is relationship-building through a zest for life. VERDICT This is a showstopper for all ages. Highly recommended as a jovial, offbeat approach to a universal human activity.—Richelle Rose, Kenton County P.L., KY

School Library Journal