Dance Like a Flamingo
Moira Butterfield and Claudia Boldt
Welbeck Publishing
Little ones can receive a dozen dance lessons courtesy of the host of willing animal teachers in this lively picture book.
Whether they prefer to fly circle-wise, wiggle waggle their bottoms, point and fly like the bees, as they show fellow bees the way to their flower findings;
strut proudly as the peacock shows; or emulate the show-off crab, flexing claws and scuttling sideways in both directions, the instructions are here.
On the other hand (or tentacles) perhaps something a little more gentle in parts like the jellyfish offers, with floaty arm movements and slow, calm drifting might suit the mood: it does get faster though at the end.
I suspect the baby elephant dance will go down well – in more ways than one: make sure you have plenty of space and a soft landing if you do this with a nursery class.
Then after all the fun learning I’d suggest handing the finale over
to the group and letting them choose their moves, as the example on the final spread shows in the celebratory ‘wonderful world’ extravaganza.
With its step-by-step actions and Claudia Boldt’s gorgeous, funky illustrations, this book is terrific fun whether you choose to use it in an education setting or at home: an absolute joy from cover to cover.