Red Dancing Shoes

by Denise Lewis Patrick, James E. Ransome (Illustrator)

Delighted with her shiny new red shoes, a little girl dances through town to show them off to everyone she knows

Genres: Picture Books, African American, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1993

Reviews

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a cute southern story.

[Marte Bryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red Dancing Shoes is about a little girl who gets a pair of red dancing shoes from her grandma in a present. She is delighted with her new shoes, and she dances around with them and through the city to show off the new shoes to everyone she knows. Until she runs and falls in the mud, and the shoes get dirty and are not danceable anymore, in the girl's eyes. Her aunt saves the little girl's day, and brings magic back into those red dancing shoes.

Themes: Character and values. The new red dancing shoes becomes an important value for the young girl, that she gets crushed when they become muddy and don't think they are usable anymore.
African American. The book shows a story from an African American family and their relationship within the family.

The story reminds me of my childhood when I got something brand new and could hardly wait to wear it and show it to my friends. The book evokes the feeling of being proud of something as a child.

I recommend this book because every child can relate to the proud feeling the girl have in the book. The book opens up for questions about what is valuable in your life, and what happens if this valuable thing brakes.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful paintings and writing that paints a beautiful picture of the home, the community, family and friends nearby, and the simplicity of a little girls joy.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the picture books from @Jess5th 's inferring from book covers lesson. Great story.

https://crawlingoutoftheclassroom.wor...

[☁︎ ☾ ｡⋆ morgan ⋆｡☽ ☁︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

a cute story about familial love, gifts, and the joy that dancing can bring. i really liked this!! <3

[Stephanie Delvecchio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:Returning from a trip, Grandmama brings presents for her family. "But my present was the most special. It was a pair of the finest, reddest, shiniest shoes that anyone had ever seen," declares the likable African American girl who narrates this unassuming yet agreeable story. Impatient to try out--and show off--her gift, the child takes a walk with her older sister. But when she starts running toward her great-aunt Nen's house, she takes a tumble, which leaves her shoes "sticky and blotchy and muddy." The child is devastated until Nen, predictably, restores them to their pristine condition. Patrick's narrative gets a big boost from Ransome's ( How Many Stars in the Sky? ; All the Lights in the Night ) expressive oil paintings, which convincingly impart the joy, fleeting disappointment and gratitude this youngster experiences during an eventful afternoon. The full page, bordered illustrations are complemented by smaller spot art beneath each page of text--a pitcher of lemonade promises relief, a squirrel observes the narrator's perambulations. Ages 4-up. Thank you Amazon!

Themes: family, helping each other out, gifts

Curricular uses: read-aloud, independent reading

[ZZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story about a little girl who gets a fancy pair of red shoes from her Grandmama ...she is so excited she dances all around her neighborhood -- and she ends up getting them all dirty! But it is a happy ending because her Great Aunt helps her to clean them right back up!

[Mary]

I think I've read this 247 times in the past 2 weeks.

And Caoimhe has to put on her red shoes every time.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

And now my daughter wants red shoes.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book and its beautiful illustrations. It's a fast read, but it's one that is sure to elicit conversation about family from readers.

[Tamara]

love it. very well written truly gifted author