Baby Dance (Harper Growing Tree) (Board book)

by Ann Taylor (Author), Marjorie Van Heerden (Illustrator) "Hush little baby, don't you cry Hush little baby, Mama's nearby..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-While Mama is napping on the sofa, Father comforts his baby daughter and soon they are dancing and singing their way through this action poem. The little girl's hair ribbons gleefully soar as she goes "Up to the ceiling,/down to the ground/Backward, forward,/'round and 'round." Van Heerden's soft-focus artwork is animated and realistic. The red, orange, and yellow background hues radiate with the warmth of this African-American family, and the simple, catchy rhyme invites parent/child participation. A great addition to board-book collections.
Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
This abbreviated version of Taylor's poem,``The Baby Dance,'' drawing upon infants' universal love of song, weaves a few bouncing lines to make listeners wriggle. An African-American father croons to his baby daughter while engaging in a spontaneous and steadily more exuberant dance. ``Dance, little baby,/move to and fro/Coo and crow, baby,/there you go.'' Van Heerden's judicious use of background colors subtly reflect the increasing tempo, as soothing blues gradually intensify into vibrant swirls of orange, yellow, and purple. A boisterous romp. (Board book. 1-3) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Board book: 16 pages
• Publisher: HarperFestival (December 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0694012068
• ISBN-13: 978-0694012060
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,906 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #31 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > New Baby > Fiction
  #58 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > African-American
  #90 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Parents > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hit with us both, May 15, 2000

By A Customer

My 11-month-old loves this book because of the short, rhythmic lines, the colorful pictures, the easily-identified cat, and because her father dances with her just as the father in the book does. I love it because it's short, catchy, and I can read it fifteen times in a row without going crazy.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baby loves the colors, May 9, 2005

By	DEva (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

Our daughter has loved this book since we got it for her for Christmas. The illustrations really are bold, and my 9 month old always likes to look at this book. The pages are of course durable, and it is simple, quick reading for a tired mommy/daddy. I also like it because it is about a baby's special time with daddy.
UPDATE: our daughter is 18 months, and still loves the book...One thing I realized, you can "sing" the book with the music of "Hush little baby". I didn't know that but maybe some other people did.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings smiles and glee, November 19, 2000

By A Customer

My seven month old lights up every time we read Baby Dance. She delights in the illustrations and "talks" along with the words. This is definitely her favorite book.