This book, which is inspired by the author’s own personal experience of practicing tap dancing while working as a night watchman, explores redefining gender norms, similar to Julian is a Mermaid and Glad, Glad Bear. It reinforces that nothing is wrong with boys wanting to practice dance, a hot-button topic that is still being talked about today. Not too long ago, a GMA host received a lot of backlash when she ridiculed Prince George on-air for practicing Ballet. Her comment went viral and sparks much-needed conversations about changing those preconceived notions about boys in dance.
The book follows shy Stanley, a boy who loves to dance, but never for an audience. Once the school principal discovers his secret talent, he urges Stanley to enter the school talent show and perform for his classmates. This book will have children and their parents cheering for Stanley to conquer his stage-fright and shine on stage.
I really enjoyed this book! I recommend it for all young children. I think this shares such an important message!
| Author Bio: |
| John Sullivan received the Ezra Jack Keats Award and Margaret Wise Brown Prize for his debut picture book Kitten and the Night Watchman, also named a best book of the year by The Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and BookPage. He is also the author of Ethan and the Strays and Stanley’s Secret. John is a cat lover and tap dancer who formerly worked as a night watchman. He lives in Chicago. Illustrator Bio: Zach Manbeck is an author and illustrator living in Pennsylvania. As an artist, his work is described as modern vintage—nostalgic, yet fresh. As a creator, Zach aims to tell stories from new perspectives: stories that advocate for characters that haven’t yet had a chance to live in books. Learn more at ZachManbeck.com. |
A Must-Read with the Acclaim of Goldie Hawn and Tom Hanks
Gregg and Ryan’s book When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids — has been called “a gift for all in the neighborhood” by Tom Hanks. Academy-award winning actress Goldie Hawn who has founded MindUP said “Fred Rogers taught that we each have something unique – a kind of inner music that only we can make. In this book, Behr and Rydzewski do for readers what Fred Rogers did in the Neighborhood: use brain science to help all of use become the best of whoever we are.”
In their acclaimed book, When You Wonder, You’re Learning, Gregg and Ryan reveal a never-before-seen side of Fred Rogers: the ingenious scientist and legendary teacher who was decades ahead of his time. They explain how Fred engineered every aspect of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to help kids develop the “tools for learning” — the skills and mindsets now deemed essential for school, work, and life.
These tools have been shown to boost academic performance, social-emotional wellbeing, and even physical health. They cost almost nothing to develop, and they’re up to ten times more predictive of children’s success than test scores. I love how this book is engaging and how it truly can help parents help their children!
This groundbreaking new book, told through verse and illustration has already hit the #1 spot for New Releases in Children’s Books on Bullying on Amazon, and tells the story of a young boy who is struggling with his body image and disordered eating while learning how to accept himself.
Disordered eating is rarely looked out from a male perspective, but Jarrett hopes to change that with his raw and real portrayal in this book. Just this month, NBC Nightly News aired a news segment alerting parents to the fact that one in three people diagnosed with an eating disorder is male, and that 99% of the research for eating disorders has focused solely on females. Jarrett can discuss why he hopes A WORK IN PROGRESS will help expand the conversation and raise awareness about boys and eating disorders. I think that this is an important book. There are many books about girls and eating disorders and it isn’t only a disorder that effects girls.
This original middle-grade book is based on the animated series of the same name, which premiered in October 2022 and is airing on Nickelodeon and streaming on Paramount+. Star Trek: Prodigy tells the story of a bunch of teen misfits who discover a hidden Starfleet ship called the Protostar, and it follows them on their adventures as they travel through space in the year 2383.
In ESCAPE ROUTE, the crew is on their way to Starfleet, when Murf spots a moon that isn’t on their charts. Murf really wants to explore, so the group makes a pitstop. However, this small detour turns into a big dilemma when the inhabitants of the moon ask Murf to stay with them. The rest of the crew begins to wonder if this is a sign, and contemplate if it might be time for them all to go their separate ways.
With strong themes of teamwork, inclusiveness, embracing diversity and one another’s differences, this series will appeal to all types of audiences. This is the third middle-grade book in this new S&S series, following the release of A DANGEROUS TRADE and SUPERNOVA earlier this year.
I found this book quite entertaining and recommend it to middle age readers! I loved the characters!
Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to facilitate this post. Cover images and information were also provided.
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