September 18 is National Dance Day. Whether you love hip hop, ballet, salsa, polka, swing, ballroom, or folk dancing, moving to music is a universal experience. These upbeat Magination Press books celebrate dancing with family, friends, and even on your own.
When Nana Dances by Jane Yolen and Maddison Stemple-Piatt
Nana can make any object a dancing partner. An umbrella, a broom, even a rake! Both onstage and off, she can shimmy, she can mambo, and do the bunny hop. She’s won prizes and can dance to grandpa’s music or to her own beat. But nothing is more special than when grandma dances with her grandchildren.
This fun story is filled with the movement, energy, and laughter that comes when kids dance with their grandparents.
Accordionly: Abuelo and Opa Make Music by Michael Genhart, PhD
When both grandpas, Abuelo and Opa, visit at the same time, they can’t understand each other’s language and there is a lot of silence. The grandson’s clever thinking helps find a way for everyone to share the day together as two cultures become one family.
Hector’s Favorite Place by Jo Rooks
Hector loves his cozy, snugly, safe home. It’s his favorite place to be. Hector loves his home so much that he doesn’t often go out, and soon, it starts to affect his friendships.
Can Hector find the courage to break out of his comfort zone?
Move Your Mood! by Brenda S. Miles, PhD, and Colleen A. Patterson, MA
Feeling blah? Here’s what to do. Move your body and your mood moves too!
Move Your Mood! invites kids and adults to twist, wiggle, shake, hop…and smile! Reading this book with your child is an active and fun way to teach your child about emotions, and introduce the idea that moving our bodies affects the way we feel inside.
Ready to start feeling better? Move and groove your way into a better mood!