How Can You Dance

by Rick Walton, Ana Lopez-Escriva (Illustrator)

Younsters will love to wiggle, shimmy, and dance about as they learn how to dance like a snake as it slithers to explore and like a bee as it flies around and around wildly, in a joyful ode to movement.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Animals

Hardcover

First published June 25, 2001

About the author

Born and raised in Utah, Walton is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church. He served as a missionary to Brazil from 1976 to 1978, soon after he graduated from high school. Later, at Brigham Young University, he became president of the Brazil Club. In 1980, he graduated from Brigham Young with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a minor in Portuguese, the language spoken in Brazil.

Walton's education continued after he obtained his degree. In 1980, he went back to Brigham Young for one semester of graduate work in business, but chose not to follow that career path. Deciding to become a teacher, he earned certification in elementary education from Brigham Young in 1987, as well as certification to teach gifted and talented students. Up to that point, he had held a number of jobs, including a year with the parks and recreation department of Provo, Utah. In 1987, he began teaching sixth grade at a local public school, then switched to a private school.

Also interested in computers, Walton would later publish several items of software. He left teaching to accept a position as software designer for IBM in 1989. In 1994, he turned to freelance software design and writing. He also returned to Brigham Young University once again, this time to earn his master's degree in English, with an emphasis on creative writing.

Walton's wife, Ann, with whom he has written many of his books, is a computer programmer. They were married in 1983, and have five children. With Dumb Clucks! and Something's Fishy! in 1987, the Waltons began writing books.

Reviews

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great movement book. This book combines playful illustrations with rhymes that hop, skip, and jump. The text features short verses about different situations or emotions and the dances that could go along with them: "How can you dance when/one foot's sore?/Dance with the other foot/touching the floor." They are followed by instructional verses in red: "Dance on the other foot./Spin on the other foot./Hop on the other foot./Dance, spin, hop!" The acrylic paintings on each double-page spread feature one scene over the verse showing a real situation (a girl in a chair with her bandaged foot elevated) and a large full-page-plus fantasy scene (the girl standing on one leg on a lily pad surrounded by flamingos who are also on one leg). The illustrations feature a varied cast of children and animals, and convey a wonderful sense of movement. This is not a book children will sit still for.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love dancing! Dancing, or even just watching dancing, brings an energy and excitement, a joy and a peace. I love that this book points out that we can all dance in so many different ways. We don't have to have legs to dance. We don't have to have arms to dance. We don't have to dance in any certain style to enjoy dancing and be happy.

**Talking points: Do you like dancing? Which dance styles do you like dancing best? Which dance styles do you like to watch best? What thinks beside dancing help you be happy?

**Essential Oil Pairing Tip: Because dancing is about joy and connection, I'd while reading this book I'd diffuse 3 drops of doTERRA's Citrus Bliss essential oil blend (a super uplifting oil blend) and 2 drops of Marjoram (The Oil of Connection).

[Anjanabiswa]

By Rick Walton, Illustrated by Ana Lopez-Escriva
Summary: This book is very diverse because you can see in the cover page, it has all people of color dancing together. This book talks about different ways to dance even if there is something stopping the person.
Evaluation of Illustrations/Text: The illustrations fill the pages with dull colors and detail. The text is in a 1/4 of the page box in bold black and initialized red.
Strategies for Use in the Classroom:
This book teaches kids that even if they cannot do something, there is always a way around it to have fun and succeed.
Create your own - The students can make their own ways of dancing even if something is stopping them. Then, they can share it with the class and have the class participate in their dance.

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each page has a section in black and one in red, the text in black is a fun movement rhyme. The text in red is very choppy and didn't flow at all. I plan on reading just the text in black during a dance storytime.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is full of movement and action and the kids will not be able to sit still while you read this one. A lot of fun.

[Goshen PL Childrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at Storytime on January 29, 2020
Theme: Wiggly Stories

Fum book that lets the kids move a lot!

[Jeremiah Scanlan · Rating 3 out of 5]

can't forgive awkward rhyme when the rest of them are so good

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Explore different ways to move your body with a grown-up, like an animal, etc.

[SamSamSam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sting like a bee when you're mad? Nah.

[Lisa Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really an interesting book... The illustrations of some of the kids were a little creepy to me...

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Used with a dance program.

[Keegan Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this one as much as some of his others. I wished that there were more consistency within the story-- both in the ways that people were limited in dancing (because they were hurt or because they were in water) and in the ways they ended up dancing (like animals, for example). But still cute. I thought the illustrations were fun, though.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the passages of this book flow and carry themselves forward with child-like rhythm. Other passages fall flat and lose the consistency. A great concept, but an unfortunately rather loose execution.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used parts for WTBI movement.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

dancing - encouraging kids to move in different ways

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

movement book--can't wait to use for sat am fever...may also work for boogie woogie. each page highlights a different dance based upon either animals or nature.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at Preschool Story Time (at another branch) on 8/23/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clare loved dancing along to the different dance on each page. The illustrations were a little boring. It wasn't very bright in color, which made it hard to see some of the scenes.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

lotsa ways to move your body in a rhyming fashion with slightly silly pictures.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gets the kids up & moving around. Dance like a tree, dance on 1 foot, etc.

[Monica Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dance like no one is looking.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars A cute fun upbeat book about Dancing...just a fun rhythm...just ignore the pictures...they aren't that exciting.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Explores a wide range of possible movements that could make up a dance, great arts connections.

[Shauna Ludlow Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great theme. Fun illustrations. Diverse kids. Love it!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

a get up on your feet and move like the characters in the book. A paragraph on each page and then a dance or movement to accompany it. A little long but the movement makes it go.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

27 Months. A dancing book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great movement book!