Dylan, Daisy and the Disco Ball
Robert Tregoning and Laura Brenlla
Oxford Children’s Books

Dylan and Daisy are dressed and ready for their first school disco but they’re unsure what they are letting themselves in for. However, no sooner has Dylan walked through the door than he starts feeling the rhythm and lights of all colours form a rainbow all around. Then from above descends a ball of silver light inviting him, so he feels, to move to the music and “Twirl and twirl and twirl like me and sparkle from within”. Almost immediately Dylan is shimmying and shaking like a disco diva. He’s having an amazing time but then he notices that everybody has stopped dancing to look at him. Highly embarrassed, he stops his boogie bopping straight away as he feels his inner sparkle dim, watched from above by the disco ball.

She doesn’t want Dylan’s self-confidence to wane and tries glowing and sparkling very brightly.

However, it’s Daisy’s feet that start tapping and soon she’s dancing with gusto towards Dylan. After a bit of encouragement from his friend, Dylan returns to the floor and so infectious is their boogieing that before long all their friends are joining in and twirling too.

With dramatic scenes by Laura Brenlla (you can almost hear the music emanating from some of her illustrations), this empowering telling by Robert Tregoning about letting go and over-coming one’s self-consciousness, will one hopes, encourage listeners to do likewise.