Side by side with stacked plates they glide.
My father twirls my mother by one hand.
Laughing, she spins into his arms,
then out again, like a yo-yo on a string.

And so two children spy on their parents as an evening kitchen clean-up turns into a celebration of love and family. Maurie J. Manning has created a beautiful testimony to family love in her lyrical and exuberant Kitchen Dance.

Here are three things I like about this book:

• The story is a beautiful glimpse of an ordinary moment, made extraordinary. Love oozes from the pages – between husband and wife, parents and children.
• Manning’s artwork is glorious – full of color and color. In particular, I love the facial expressions on every page.
• Though not a rhyming text, Manning’s writing is rhythmic. Readers will feel like they are swaying to the music and part of the dance.

Kitchen Dance is a beautiful family read-aloud, particularly for children ages 3-7. It would be a wonderful choice for a bedtime read.

I thought of a rhythm in my mind…

And so begins a young girl’s celebration of dance, music, and rhythm . I Got the Rhythm inspires kids to express their inner selves to connect with others in their community.

Here are three things I like about this book:

• Author Schofield-Morrison’s text encourages readers to experience the rhythm with all their senses. Kids will want to clap and snap right along with the young dancer in the pages.
• Morrison’s buoyant illustrations add another layer of liveliness. I love the diversity of characters and wide range of vibrant colors.
• The strong sense of community in this book demonstrates how we can lift others up while at the same time being true to ourselves.

I Got the Rhythm is a great read-aloud for ages 3-6. For extra fun, kids could act out the motions as they happen in the book, ending with a big group dance party when the book is finished.

As school gears up again, there’s no denying this year will be a challenge for everyone, since no one is quite sure what pandemic schooling will look like. I imagine it’s even more daunting for new kindergartners who may already be tentative about starting school for the first time. Though The King Of Kindergarten walks through a typical first day before Covid-19 precautions were put into place, I imagine many young readers will still find comfort in its pages, and every little bit helps!

Here our three things I like about this book:

• Author Derrick Barnes’ prose is simple, yet elegant, giving readers a better understanding of our regal protagonist. By using a second person POV, kids will feel like they are the King of Kindergarten, starting school for the first time.
• Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s illustrations are sophisticated and layered, yet the overall mood is child-like. I love the wide range of color.
• The joyous tone will make kids excited to go to school. There are games to be played, lessons to be learned, and new friends to be made.

The King of Kindergarten is a wonderful addition to the collection of first-day-of-school picture books. It shows a welcome diversity of children and adults, all of which are happy to learn and eager to make friends with each other. I recommend this book for all soon-to-be kindergartners.

As more attention is given to racial equality, many book enthusiasts have created lists highlighting works by black authors, illustrators, and poets. While it is important to read books about the shameful atrocities of our nation’s past, we cannot limit our reading experience of the black community to slavery and Jim Crow laws. Children should be able to find books that feature black children doing the things many children love to do.

Beautiful Ballerina is such a book, celebrating young black dancers. Poet Marilyn Nelson’s lovely, lyrical verse matches with Susan Kuklin’s expressive photographs of young dancers from Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Here are three things I like about this book:

• Nelson’s words are as graceful as the ballerinas pictured. I love her repetition of “Beautiful ballerina, you are the dance.”
• Kuklin expertly captures photographs of ballerinas in motion, which I have to believe is not easy to do, especially in children who may not have quite achieved the body control of adult dancers. The solid color backgrounds accentuates the dancers’ presence, beautiful poses, and long lines.
• Although Misty Copeland’s success has opened doors for young black ballet dancers, there is still a lingering stigma black girls don’t fit the profile of the ideal ballerina. This book turns that ridiculous notion on its head.

Beautiful Ballerina is a celebration of grace, strength, and beauty and makes one marvel at how ballerinas do what they do. My own ballerina loved this book. I recommend this book for all readers, and it will especially inspire young female dancers (alas, there are no male dancers in this book) between ages four to ten.

The Field, written by Baptiste Paul and illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara, bursts with energy and neighborhood fun. The synopsis is straightforward: kids gather for a pick-up game of soccer. Although the premise seems simple, Paul and Alcántara pack in so much emotion and life so that it makes the reader feel they are a part of the game.

Here are three things I like about this book:

• Paul draws on his childhood experience of growing up in the Caribbean. Creole words seamlessly mix into dialogue and narrative, giving the reader a sense that they are part of the neighborhood pack.
• With so much color and action in her illustrations, Alcántara makes the reader feel like they are running, kicking, and getting dirty right alongside the others.
• People sometimes think that picture books showing a slice of life are easy to pull off, but the opposite is true – if you want them done well. And Paul and Alcántara have done it so well in this book, which is a testament to their craft. They get bonus points for creating a book that feels inclusive and will make kids want to start a pick-up game of their own.

The Field is a wonderful choice for a read-aloud, particularly for soccer lovers in the four to eight years old age bracket.

I knew very little about Voices of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement before checking it out from my public library. Nor did I know much about its titular hero. I am thankful to author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Ekua Holmes for telling Fannie’s story and sharing this book with the world.

Here are three things I like about this book:

• I love that it reads like a mini novel-in-verse. In a compilation of 21 illustrated poems, this book manages to give the reader a sweeping survey of Fannie Lou Hamer’s life. Weatherford’s language is exquisite, and the book earned a Sibert Honor, which recognizes achievement in nonfiction books for young people.
• Ekua Holmes painting and collage artwork is rich with color and intricate in detail. Holmes received a Caldecott Honor for Voices of Freedom, which is an amazing feat for a debut picture book.
• I love that this is a picture book made for older readers. I think we forget that tweens benefit from the beautiful artwork and rich language that we find in picture books.

I believe Voices of Freedom is best for readers ages 10 and up. Younger kids could also listen along, but I think a slightly more mature audience will benefit more from the content. This book would make a wonderful addition to any U. S. History curriculum or study on the Civil Rights in the United States.