The Baby Dances [Hardcover]

Kathy Henderson (Author), Tony Kerins (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Recounts the development of a baby, from birth to rolling over, crawling, standing, and finally walking.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"The baby's born./ The baby's born./ In the middle of winter/ and a windy, rattling, late rainstorm/ she has her first warm hug/ in her father's arms..." So begins this lyrical and visually sumptuous overview of a baby's first year. Henderson (A Year in the City) and Kerins (The Brave Ones) follow the baby girl through the seasons and the major milestones: first smile, rolling over, sitting, crawling. When winter rolls around again, "she takes her first lurching steps,/ reaches out.../ staggers... prances.../ and safe in her brother's arms,/ the baby dances!" New parents may well be taken with the romanticized celebration of an infant's changes and growth, while preschoolers can anticipate the changes to come with a new arrival at home. The majority of Kerins's luxuriant, full-bleed pastels focus only on the baby herself; she is bathed in an angelic glow, immaculate, and always cheerful. Meanwhile, her brother, shown interacting with his younger sister in small black-and-white vignettes as sidebars to the main illustrations, displays not a whit of sibling rivalry. Preschool children fascinated by tales of their own development will appreciate this accessible approach to a baby's first stages of growth. Ages 3-6. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-The milestones in a baby's first year are beautifully captured in this lyrical work. On a cold winter night, a child is born. As the seasons change, so does the infant. By summer she can wave "her hands at shadows" and sit up by herself. She is crawling as the autumn leaves begin to fall and by the next winter "she takes her first lurching steps...." Henderson's well-crafted text is rhythmic and full of evocative images: the baby lifts her hands and stands "Like a tightrope walker/in the gusty wind...." Kerins's full-page pastel illustrations are remarkably realistic and glow with warmth and tenderness. Subtle details such as magnolia blossoms falling into the carriage and tiny fingers pulling on clover strengthen the text's metaphoric linking of the child with nature. Smaller black-and-white sketches offer a glimpse of family members. The final full-page illustration is of the girl dancing into her brother's arms, making this perfect for sharing with older siblings.
Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (September 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763603740
• ISBN-13: 978-0763603748
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,078,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving prose and illustrations celebrate baby's first year., July 22, 1999

By 

Sherry Anderson ([e-mail]) (Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Baby Dances (Hardcover)

Captivating illustrations celebrate the first year of baby's life. Moments after birth, smiles and all the joyous experiences of discovery and accomplishment are revealed in sweet prose and illustrations on each breathtaking page. This book will gently tug at the heartstrings of anyone who has ever loved a baby.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New baby coming? a perfect book for big brothers & sisters, June 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Baby Dances (Hardcover)

As with all picture books the impact is from the artist. Tony Kerins soft realistic pictures, warm colors and double page spread create a feel good book for the very young. Baby is followed from her birth until she toddles or "dances" into big brother's arms when she is one.

The text is simple with each stage a page header then repeated with more text.

This is the perfect book for someone who is no longer the centre of attention when number two child arrives.

The reader can watch for baby's developmental steps through the book.

"The Baby Dances" is sure to become a favourite gift book for loving relatives.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very beautiful, February 15, 2001

By 

Mark Grindell "Mark Grindell" (Shipley,West Yorkshire) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Baby Dances (Hardcover)

I had four children over a period of ten years, when, frankly, it wasn't fashionable. Realising now that I and my wife have "done our bit" to raise the census count now, we tend to look back very rarely on that period when they were all crawling about or demanding room service...

It's rather sad that while that period is going on, you rarely find people who will barge into the house and actually tell you the truth - that in all this haze of nappies, late nights, worry, and occasional delight, that this period is unreplaceable, precious, and if you look out of the corner of your eye, more than wonderful. Babies are one thing, I guess according to one set of people, but a parallel reality grants them quite incredible powers - they are magical creatures, impossible, fantastic, wise, full of joy and splendour.

This book made me look in precisely that direction - towards the rather long time ago of my own tinies, and I was immensely moved by the memories I had put away of my babies learning every little ordinary thing. And the art is just right and it's all magic.

I had to look the other way, my eyes were rather wet when I finally looked away, and of course I bought it. I'm not sure why, because my babies are now quite big, but I caught my girls reading it, and perhaps it's going to be for their babies, one day in the far distance!