Here are 70 books that Danika's Dancing Day fans have personally recommended if you like
Danika's Dancing Day.
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Dance has always been an important part of my life. I specialized in dance in college (Denison University) and graduate school (MFA, University of Michigan) and danced professionally for twelve years. As a dance educator, I’ve taught in colleges, conservatories, schools, and community centers, teaching toddlers, senior adults, and every age in between. I’ve authored two books for teachers, three picture books, articles in journals, and verses for children’s magazines. I share my passion for dance by writing and teaching, and visiting schools, libraries, and book festivals. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to participate in the arts; they are essential and transformational forces in our lives.
I love this book because its central theme is to inspire children to explore different kinds of movement. The prompts are all centered around animals, with lots of words that help to describe the animals and how they move.
Words like “stretch,” “waggle,” “march,” and “splash” help children use their imaginations and explore many ways of moving their bodies. The beautiful illustrations by Hannah Abbo will also inspire young readers.
Learn about animals and get grooving with this fun and lively picture book from a renowned STEAM expert and arts educator!
Discover the amazing ways that animals use movement to communicate! Lighthearted text and vibrant illustrations teach readers how peacocks strut and honeybees waggle, and even invites kids to get up and try out some animal-inspired dance moves themselves!
A gay retelling of the classic fairy tale--a scrumptious love story featuring ungrateful stepsiblings, a bake-off, and a fairy godfather.
Cinderelliot is stuck at home taking care of his ungrateful stepsister and stepbrother. When Prince Samuel announces a kingdom-wide competition to join the royal staff as his baker, the stepsiblings…
Dance has always been an important part of my life. I specialized in dance in college (Denison University) and graduate school (MFA, University of Michigan) and danced professionally for twelve years. As a dance educator, I’ve taught in colleges, conservatories, schools, and community centers, teaching toddlers, senior adults, and every age in between. I’ve authored two books for teachers, three picture books, articles in journals, and verses for children’s magazines. I share my passion for dance by writing and teaching, and visiting schools, libraries, and book festivals. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to participate in the arts; they are essential and transformational forces in our lives.
I love the variety of movement words in this book that offer children so many ideas about how to dance and what to dance about. It encourages children to dance however they want and offers playful prompts like emotions (dance because you’re happy or sad), different body parts (dance with your face or your fingers), and different places (dance at the bus stop!).
This book has colorful and fun illustrations by the author to enhance the lively movement ideas.
A playful picture book that urges readers to bop, bounce, and shake from the author of Fraidyzoo
There are so many ways to dance! You can jiggle or wiggle or stomp. You
can bop or bounce or go completely nuts. You can dance at the market or
the bus stop, with your fingers or your face. You can dance because
you're happy or even because you're sad.
But, what's the best way to dance?
Exactly how you want to!
In How Do You Dance?,
author-illustrator Thyra Heder explores dance in all of its creativity,
humor, and-most of all-joy, in a…
Dance has always been an important part of my life. I specialized in dance in college (Denison University) and graduate school (MFA, University of Michigan) and danced professionally for twelve years. As a dance educator, I’ve taught in colleges, conservatories, schools, and community centers, teaching toddlers, senior adults, and every age in between. I’ve authored two books for teachers, three picture books, articles in journals, and verses for children’s magazines. I share my passion for dance by writing and teaching, and visiting schools, libraries, and book festivals. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to participate in the arts; they are essential and transformational forces in our lives.
This colorful picture book, with whimsical illustrations by Maine Diaz, takes the reader on a journey through ten different kinds of dance from around the world. There are pictures of a widely diverse cast performing the dances, from Kuku to cha cha to disco to break dancing.
In addition, movement words like "glide," "dip," and "tap" will inspire children to dance along with the fun and playful words and illustrations.
This rhythmic showcase of dances from all over the world features children of diverse backgrounds and abilities tapping, spinning, and boogying away!
Tap, twirl, twist, spin! With musical, rhyming text, author Valerie Bolling shines a spotlight on dances from across the globe, while energetic art from Maine Diaz shows off all the moves and the diverse people who do them. From the cha cha of Cuba to the stepping of Ireland, kids will want to leap, dip, and zip along with the dances on the page!
Dance has always been an important part of my life. I specialized in dance in college (Denison University) and graduate school (MFA, University of Michigan) and danced professionally for twelve years. As a dance educator, I’ve taught in colleges, conservatories, schools, and community centers, teaching toddlers, senior adults, and every age in between. I’ve authored two books for teachers, three picture books, articles in journals, and verses for children’s magazines. I share my passion for dance by writing and teaching, and visiting schools, libraries, and book festivals. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to participate in the arts; they are essential and transformational forces in our lives.
This book, written by a lifelong dance educator, is the second in a planned series that helps children learn about science and nature through movement. The creative movement prompts come directly from images of light, both natural and man-made.
The book is filled with ideas to encourage children to learn about the nature of light, darkness, reflection, and refraction, and to use these images to inspire creativity and learning. Beautiful illustrations by the author are superimposed with photographs of young children dancing about the different aspects of light.
The Dancing Light is the second in a series of books by dance educator Karen Diaz Ensanian, created to facilitate dance making with young children. The book exposes them to beautiful visual art, view photos of young dancers demonstrating science concepts through their movement, and hear poetic verse and action words that help them illustrate the nature of LIGHT. By embodying this information, the student makes deep connections in their body, mind, to the world, and to the nature of light. This is an opportunity to learn by way of movement. Internalizing the information and imagery, students will gain a…
I’ve never forgotten the thrill of my first ballet! My grandmother and I went to see The Nutcracker when I was five, and that first ballet experience inspired a lifelong love of dance. As a child, I adored dressing up and twirling around the house with my sisters, and I went on to study dance along with English Literature in college. Years later when my own daughters adored dressing up in pink tutus, I started writing about a determined little mouse who loves to dance, and so Angelina Ballerina was born. Children naturally love music and dance, and I hope the picture books I’ve chosen will inspire you and your family with the magic of dance!
Peppa is an adorable little pink pig, and the Peppa Pig books are full of family fun and laughter. In this 8x8 storybook, slightly older children will delight in Peppa’s very first ballet lesson as she learns some graceful dance steps with all her friends. When Peppa comes home and decides to teach her parents how to do ballet she gets quite a surprise! Wonderful humor and colorful, lively illustrations contribute to all the dancing fun.
A ballet-themed 8x8 storybook featuring Peppa -- a lovable, slightly bossy little piggy! Includes a poster of Peppa and friends!
Peppa Pig goes to her very first ballet lesson where she learns a graceful dance routine. But when Peppa decides to teach Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig how to dance, too, she finds out they might just have some dance moves of their own! Includes a poster of Peppa and friends!
I’ve never forgotten the thrill of my first ballet! My grandmother and I went to see The Nutcracker when I was five, and that first ballet experience inspired a lifelong love of dance. As a child, I adored dressing up and twirling around the house with my sisters, and I went on to study dance along with English Literature in college. Years later when my own daughters adored dressing up in pink tutus, I started writing about a determined little mouse who loves to dance, and so Angelina Ballerina was born. Children naturally love music and dance, and I hope the picture books I’ve chosen will inspire you and your family with the magic of dance!
The Fancy Nancy books are hugely popular, and this is a great addition to the series. Nancy loves to dress up and dance, and in this story she sets out to show her favorite ballet moves to her father, with touchingly humorous results. Young readers will enjoy following along as Nancy demonstrates her best plies, pirouettes, and jetes, and will probably be inspired to start their own ballet lessons!
An entertaining way to learn basic ballet positions, and a special treat for devoted little ballet students and their families.
What starts out as dancing school just for Dad quickly turns into a ballet class for Nancy's whole family. Fans of Fancy Nancy will delight in learning to plié, pirouette, and jeté with Nancy as she demonstrates all of the positions she's learned in ballet class.
From the New York Times bestselling team Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, who have entertained millions of girls and boys with the Fancy Nancy series.
Floretta- the story of an old woman who discovers life beautifully anew thru the helping hands of a child. The chakra colors of dawn and twilight are woven through the pages as the cycle of life is magically composed. The subject of “heaven,” has the potential to open discussions with…
I’ve never forgotten the thrill of my first ballet! My grandmother and I went to see The Nutcracker when I was five, and that first ballet experience inspired a lifelong love of dance. As a child, I adored dressing up and twirling around the house with my sisters, and I went on to study dance along with English Literature in college. Years later when my own daughters adored dressing up in pink tutus, I started writing about a determined little mouse who loves to dance, and so Angelina Ballerina was born. Children naturally love music and dance, and I hope the picture books I’ve chosen will inspire you and your family with the magic of dance!
A storybook that takes me back to my own dancing childhood. The fabulous mother-daughter team of Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton have created a delightful series of picture books with a very winsome protagonist, Gerry, who loves being a fairy princess - and what little girl doesn’t? In this charming story Gerry is given the part of a court jester in the ballet recital - definitely not her first choice! Little dancers will be inspired by Gerry’s determination and undaunted enthusiasm, and cheer her on as she saves the day.
Everyone's favorite fairy princess is back and just in time for her ballet recital in this new picture book addition to the Julie Andrews Collection. At first, when Gerry is cast as the Court Jester and not the Crystal Princess, she is dismayed -- nothing is pink and no one can see her crown under her silly jester hat! But just as the recital looks like it's headed for disaster, our ever-energetic very fairy princess swoops in to save the day!
Gerry's sparkle radiates from the page once more through Christine Davenier's whimsically elegant illustrations in this spirited, ballet-themed follow-up…
I have loved stories since before I could read, and writing is a wonderful way to share that joy with others. I am the owner of Fairytale Princess Parties in Ottawa, Canada, bringing beloved princess and superhero characters to life for kids every weekend! After running the business for eight years, I decided to expand it to create Fairytale Stories, a children’s book imprint with princess stories to inspire, encourage kindness, and have fun. With my experience writing novels (I am also an author of historical fantasy) as well as storytelling at children’s parties, it was a perfect match, and I am excited to see how it grows.
Another classic, Angelina Ballerina, follows the story of Angelina, a mouse who loves ballet.
As a child, I too wanted to be a ballerina just like Angelina and found myself dancing along, twirling with this imaginative mouse in her adorable pink bow! The illustrations are so detailed and truly draw you into the world of Angelina.
When Angelina received her own ballet dress and slippers, I felt such a whimsical joy and would dress up along with her. This is a wonderful choice for children who have a dream and dancing feet that just won’t stop!
In an encore performance, Angelina Ballerina returns in this refreshed picture book from acclaimed author Katharine Holabird and celebrated artist Helen Craig!
Angelina is a pretty little mouse who wants nothing more than to be a ballerina. She dances all the time-at home, at school, even in her dreams! In fact, she's so busy dancing that she forgets all about the other things she's supposed to do, like cleaning her room and joining her family for breakfast!
Her parents don't know what to do-especially after her arabesques in the kitchen knock over the milk! Then one day they come up…
P. I. Tchaikovsky is a world-famous composer but few people know anything about him. Much of his life was hidden by the Soviet Union due to his homosexuality. As information finally came to light, the mystery of his death in 1893 became an obsession for me. The truth of it lies beyond the rumors of suicide or cholera, as particular circumstances exposed in my novel clearly show. I am a ballet historian and the writing of Fatewas an eight-year endeavor. Readers of Fate can now be the proverbial fly on the wall while Tchaikovsky lives his life and creates his major works.
As a celebrity in her own time, Pavlova was groundbreaking. I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about the life of an extraordinary pioneer. She lived at a time when changes in the world were many, as the film of her performing the Dying Swan certainly proves. She toured the world in order to share her art with others and has name recognition that has lasted to this very day. If you're curious about her incredible life, don't miss this lovely book.
Anna Pavlova is a legendary ballerina. Originally from the Imperial Russian Ballet, she performed to great acclaim in Europe for various impresarios at the beginning of the 20th century including Sergei Diaghalev creator of the famous Ballets Russes. Anna Pavlova formed her own dance company in 1912 and based herself in London at Ivy House, Hampstead This book celebrates the centenary of Anna Pavlova's residency at Ivy House, Hampstead, which became her home base from 1912 until her death in 1931. The book presents a lively outline of her career.
In a time of alternative facts and the loss of a shared sense of reality, A Foot is Not a Fish playfully illustrates the difference between what is true and what is not through absurd fun comparisons that every child—and parent—will instantly understand.
P. I. Tchaikovsky is a world-famous composer but few people know anything about him. Much of his life was hidden by the Soviet Union due to his homosexuality. As information finally came to light, the mystery of his death in 1893 became an obsession for me. The truth of it lies beyond the rumors of suicide or cholera, as particular circumstances exposed in my novel clearly show. I am a ballet historian and the writing of Fatewas an eight-year endeavor. Readers of Fate can now be the proverbial fly on the wall while Tchaikovsky lives his life and creates his major works.
I found that this sometimes funny but always emotional and moving account of Ms. Kirkland's life as a ballerina in New York City to be a real triumph. She brings to the pages an honesty that is rarely seen, even in autobiographies. From the illegal drug scene that nearly killed her to the everyday trials of an immensely talented dancer caught between two worlds, this is the stuff that nightmares are made of.
An American ballerina presents a story of the high-pressure world of dance which brought the dancer to a nightmare world of illness, drug addicition, and suicidal despair
