Dancing Words Blog

Category: PreK-5 Dance Books

  • Exploring Pathways with K-3 Students

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    I asked several colleagues for their favorite picture books on pathways, and all of us were somewhat stumped on this subject area. To date, there are still few books to be used as springboards when exploring lines and pathways with elementary age students. 

    Today, I want to highlight the four we came up with. Clearly, there is room for more books on this theme! I recommend checking them out of your local library and purchasing used copies online. My top pick from the list is Little Green.

    1. Little Green by Keith Baker (get regular copy, not board book version)

    A hummingbird – making various pathways in space (zig zag, curlycue, etc)

    2. Jonathan and His Mommy by Irene Smalls and Michael Hays

    A son and mother taking a walk and exploring all different ways to walk – big steps, small steps, zig zag pathways

    3. Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman and Steve Wilson

    An artistic exploration of lines that wiggle, bend, spiral, curve, etc.

    4. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

    An imaginative tale of a little boy drawing his world around him – the path he takes, the moon in the air, and much more to create an adventure

  • Repost: Flora and the Flamingo (Now a Caldecott Honor Book!)

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    The folks at Chronicle Books (one of my favorite book publishers) have released another playful picture book to inspire young ones to dance. 

    Flora and the Flamingo, by Molly Idle, is a wordless picture book with two characters – a young girl and a flamingo. Both wear their "pink costumes," ready for dancing.

    The story is a playful dialogue of a friendship forming. In movement terms, it is a fun way to introduce the ideas of follow the leader, mirroring, and call and response with students in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.

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    Share this book within a creative dance or pre-ballet class, or purchase it for your your one who loves to dance. The beauty of wordless books is that they encourage us to ask the kids, "What is happening here? What's the story? What do you think?"

    Check out the Chronicle Books website for two reasons.

    1. There is a "book trailer" that shows you all of the pages of the book. It is set to the classical piece, "By the Beautiful Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss II. Watching this trailer inspired me to want to use this particular piece of music when using this book.

    2. Also, orders over $25 receive free shipping this week. (Chronicle publishes lots of inspiring books for dance classes, including the new book on Josephine Baker, Josephine.)

    Flora and the Flamingo will lead to multiple movement possibilities. What a great way to start doing work in pairs/duets with young ones. One dancer can be the role of Flora, and one dancer can be the role of the flamingo. I also love the use of color in the book, and it inspires me to want to bring in large pieces of pink fabric with the kids as well. (Pink tulle is very inexpensive, and then you can give each student a yard of fabric.) Pick out several of the images and ask the students to make the same shapes in their bodies ("see and do").

    Have fun and play!

     

  • Alphabet Series: The Letter A

    When you and your students explore the letter A, some of these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects. 

    A is for AROUND

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    I am always looking for books and stories with prepositions. Check out this picture book about plants and gardens - Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres and illustrator Nadine Bernard Westcott. It will inspire a fun warm up and get students thinking about relationships in space.

    A is for ANIMALS

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    You can do an entire dance class with animal inspiration – shapes, actions, traveling patterns, levels, tempo, and much more. Books to investigate include:

    A is for AUTUMN LEAVES

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    Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins is a beautiful picture book with vibrant photos of leaves. You and your students can explore the shapes of the leaves in a warm up exercise. Add some of the classic "autumn music" as well – the jazz standard "Autumn Leaves" or the Autumn section from Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

    A is for ARTISTS ALVIN AILEY AND ALICIA ALONSO

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    You can also share biographies about modern dancer Alvin Ailey and prima ballerina Alicia Alonso:

  • Nutcracker Series: Book by Alison Jay

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    Yes, it is July, and I am writing about The Nutcracker! I believe that it is never too early to be thinking of your classes and units of study in the coming months.

    We got this version of The Nutcracker out of the library the other week, and my 5 year old son has asked for me to read this to him almost every day. He hasn't even seen The Nutcracker yet, but I already have plans in the works to take him to see the San Francisco Ballet in December….

    Alison Jay is known for her distinctive artwork and its "crackled painting" appearance. Her version of the Nutcracker tale is easy to read and accessible for young ones. Over the coming months, I will review various versions of the Nutcracker story.

    Between the artwork and reasonable length text, this book is a great version to share with students in PreK-3rd grade as you explore this classic story from the ballet.

    The Nutcracker by Alison Jay

     

  • Alphabet Series: Launch

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    About 10 years ago, I wrote a book about teaching the alphabet through dance. I am going to edit the lessons one more time and publish it in 2014. Stay tuned!

    In the meantime, I will share here on the blog some of the books that are referenced within my book. I hope that you will find these books to be inspiring springboards for activities as well as extensions to lessons.

    I believe that teaching the alphabet through many different modes – movement, writing, reading, drawing, etc. – is invaluable to reach all kinds of learners and to teach one of the most fundamental concepts to young children.

  • Magic and Whimsy Series: Infinity and Me

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    I read a review of this picture book a few months ago, and finally found a copy at the library this week. If you are searching for a new concept for a modern dance class with students in grades 3-5, check out this book!

    Infinity and Me is written by Kate Hosford and illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska (a favorite of mine). It shares the story of a young girl poundering and discussing the question of infinity. The text, artwork, and concept are all magical. With students in grades 3-5, you can explore the movement concepts of repetition, traveling, figure 8 patterns in the air and on the ground, and more.

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    I envision a magical dance that actually has the text read aloud or recorded for the audience to hear. The story will lead to the creation of an exciting dance with your students. 

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  • A Leaf Can Be…..

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    The 2012 picture book A Leaf Can Be…, by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrator Violeta Dabija, is a great springboard for a dance with students in K-3 classes. 

    The rhyming text explores the many actions of leaves on and off of trees depending on the time of year – tree topper, rain stopper, shade spiller, mouth filler….pile grower, hill glow-er, ground warmer, nest former…"

    Whether you choose to use the actual text or to have your students write their own ideas about what a leaf can be, the action words can inspire a rich movement exploration about what leaves do, how they relate to other creatures in the world, and more. 

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  • Hickory Dickory Dock by Keith Baker

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    Keith Baker's 2007 book Hickory Dickory Dock is an extended version of the nursery rhyme. It can be fun inspiration for a new dance or warm up in preschool and kindergarten dance classes. 

    With each strike of the clock – at 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. – a different animal is moving about. Let your imagination and playfulness create a new dance for your students. "Hickory dickory dock, a hare hopped over the clock. The clock struck four….he hopped some more! Hickory dickory dock."

    I am a big proponent for incorporating rhymes into dance classes – for the playfulness of them as well as the rhythms and cultural importance of nursery rhymes.

    Have fun!

     

  • Blue Sky

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    Audrey Wood's 2012 picture book Blue Sky might just be the book you are looking for this summer. I already envision multiple ways to use this book with K-5 students. 

    The text is sparse but lends itself to action and imagery. It reads like a poem:

    Blue sky

    Cloud sky

    Rain sky

    Storm sky

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    In your K-2 classes, use the text as a starting point for a warm up you develop, or for a structured improv activity. With students in 3-5, I imagine dividing up the book. In small groups or even solos, students can create a short phrase to represent each page – "rainbow sky…..storm sky…..dream sky…"

    Have fun and play!

     

  • Collaboration

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    Truth be told, only a small handful of children's books on the subject of dance get published each calendar year. I keep a close out for them when browsing stores, libraries, and the Horn Book Magazine and Horn Book Guide.

    This week I was excited to find a new one on the shelf at the North Berkeley Library! And, it is great! The book is When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky: Two Artists, Their Ballet, and One Extraordinary Riot by Lauren Stringer. 

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    The book shares the tale of the making of The Rite of Spring, which was a radical piece at the time in terms of sound and movement. "Together they decided to dream of something different and new." For students in grades 1-5, the take away from this picture book is about two artists with inspiration and dreams, who worked together, took a chance, and made art.

    I think this book would be a great introduction to a collaborative project, whether that project is within one class or across grade levels or artistic mediums. Secondarily, the book does an excellent job giving an introduction to the work of Stavinsky and Nijinsky.

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    If your students get excited about this book, you may also want to explore Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan with illustrations by Brian Floca. Ballet for Martha shares the story of the collaboration between Martha Graham, Aaron Copland, and Isamu Noguchi to create Appalachian Spring.