UBT April Booklist all about Dance, Dance, Dance!

April 29 is International Dance Day! Dance plays an important role in cultures all around the world, and can be a powerful means of self-expression. Dance can also be a great way to incorporate more healthy movement into our increasingly sedentary lives. Celebrate dance with these beautiful dance-themed picture books that offer great opportunities for children to develop executive function skills by following instructions, while having a toe-tapping good time.

How Can You Dance? by Rick Walton (Author),‎ Escriva Lopez (Illustrator)
This joyous rhyming picture book will have youngsters tapping and jumping, skipping and spinning like their favourite animals, using their imaginations and working off some of that seemingly inexhaustible energy!

Dancing Feet! by Lindsey Craig (Author),‎ Marc Brown (Illustrator)
Wiggly toddlers won’t be able to resist this bouncy rhythm! Great words (Stompity! Thumpity!), a toe-tapping beat, and a fun predicative element make this animal-themed

Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig (Author),‎ Marc Brown (Illustrator) 

Catch the farmyard beat with this delightful picture book from the same team that brought us Dancing Feet! No one on the farm can sleep because they’ve all got the beat! But what happens when all that grooving and dancing wakes up the farmer? Tiny dancers will want to bop and move along with this perfect crowd pleaser.

Dinosaur Dance! by Sandra Boynton (Author, Illustrator) 

The dinosaur dance party is about to start, and everyone’s invited! Shimmy shimmy shake and  quivery quake along with these adorable pastel dinosaurs who really know how to movie. Another winner from board book expert Sandra Boynton. 

Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley (Author) 

This rhyming picture book offers plenty of opportunities for children to practice following instructions, which is an important part of ensuring school readiness. It’s also charmingly illustrated, and a whole lot of fun,

Music Class Today! by David Weinstone (Author),‎ Vin Vogel (Illustrator) 

Music class is so much fun, but for one small child, all that noise is overwhelming! With some patience, reassurance, and plenty of love, though, even the most hesitant of young musicians can find their rhythm. This sweetly illustrated picture book is perfectly reassuring for any children who might be nervous about starting a new class, program or activity. 

Jane Whittingham is a librarian and picture book author whose debut book, Wild One, was released by Pajama Press in 2017. You can find more of her writing on her blog at www.raincitylibrarian.ca