The Jellybeans and the Big Dance
PreSchool-Grade 2—Right from the glittery cover showing animal ballerinas dancing, it will be hard for young readers to resist this book. Emily the dog dances everywhere, always wears pink, and has high expectations for her first dance class. Unfortunately, her fellow classmates (a pig, cat, and rabbit) would rather play soccer, paint, or watch shyly than work on their "Oh, Little Bug!" dance. With her hopes for new friends and a wonderful princess costume dashed, Emily and her mother seek consolation at the local candy shop. At the next dance class, the pup shares small bags of jellybeans with Nicole, Anna, and Bitsy. She reminds her equally discouraged fellow dancers that, just as the first letters of their names spell out "bean," each jellybean's different flavor still goes well with the others. The dancing Jellybeans decide to make their routine special, and each one uses her talent to teach a performance-related skill to the others. With cute bug costumes and a new sense of camaraderie, the Jellybeans have a winning recital and celebrate with a trip to the store for their favorite candy. Expressive cartoon animals in pastel colors dance and stumble across the pages in an endearing fashion, working out their problems and appreciating each other's uniqueness. Despite a layout best suited for independent reading, the characters and ballet school setting also hold wide appeal for young listeners.—Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MDCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.