Sky Dancing

by Ellen Erwin, Judy O'Malley (Editor), Renata Fryshara (Illustrator)

Here come the mocko jumbies! Children and adults alike love these colorfully clad Caribbean stilt dancers who move like graceful giants. Ruby and Jamal want to learn how to be stilt walkers, but only boys can join the local mocko jumbie troupe. Follow their adventures in this wryly sweet story of perseverance, friendship, and fun. Lavish illustrations sparkle and shine with the colors of the Caribbean, and will engage even the youngest readers. This gorgeous hardcover edition will be prized by children, parents, teachers, and librarians.

34 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very glossy, beautifully-produced book, but the contents don't match up. Its quite a boring story about traditional Caribbean stilt dancers, we call them mocko jumbies. It is heavily illustrated but the style is crude and it isn't wildly colourful as 'sky dancers' always are. I don't see it appealing to children.

Several of my family are mocko jumbies (Pics on Google). They wear stilts so tall, that they sit on the back of a flat bed truck to put them on, then there are the costumes that come down to their 'knees' (feet!) They dance, hop, do arabesques, march, it's great fun. Before Irma, they would go over to a private island resort one night a week with their own pan (steel) band to earn a bit of extra cash, but it's been closed since the storms. Now it's just local celebrations like Carnival and Christmas parades.

The book does not represent this colourful, extreme, mad kind of hobby at all well with its muddy colours and an artist who can't portray movement. So only 2 stars.

[Kathryn New · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the point of view: standing on stilts & Flying! Children ages one to infinity are going to love this colorful spacious read. A marvelous story Written by Ellen Erwin; Illustrated brilliantly by Rockport's own favorite artist, Renata Fryshara, is going to keep its readers spellbound. The illustrations give a sense of space and time within delicate movement in which we are engaged. Above all, it teaches us the bounds of earth and sky; the realtionship of planet, people, and universe, lest we ever forget in these tumulteous times. I recommend this to my friends to read with a cup of hot chocolate and curled up in a big stuffed chair. It will give you a warm heart. And, by the way, Ruby as moko jumbie, rocks!