Tanya and Emily in a Dance for Two [Mass Market Paperback]

Patricia Lee Gauch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 1998 | Age Level: 4 and up

Tanya, the littlest dancer in her class, looks up to the new girl, Emily, who stands, walks and dances like a prima ballerina. But when they bump into each other on the way to the zoo, they discover that each of them have a dance to share. The wiggly, petite dancer last seen in Bravo, Tanya continues to express her joie de ballet in this rousing encore.Ichikawa and Gauch, like the girls, partner each other beautifully. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review Even at the end, Tanya's positions look a bit unpolished compared with Emily's more graceful ones, yet her contribution to their friendship is as clear as her energy and love of dance. -- Booklist, starred review Tanya and Emily leap off the page. -- School Library Journal, starred review Patricia Lee Gauch lives in Hyde Park, New York. Satomi Ichikawa lives in Paris, France.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The wiggly, petite dancer last seen in Bravo, Tanya continues to express her joie de ballet in this rousing encore. When Emily joins Tanya's dance class, everyone (including Barbara, Tanya's ballerina bear) recognizes that Emily is a prima ballerina: she's lithe and limber, able to execute even the difficult cabriole. At first Emily is "always alone" and Tanya "always goes her own way." But when the two girls meet by chance in the park zoo, Tanya's imitative, free-spirited ostrich dance captivates Emily, who joins with Tanya to dance the flamingo, the panther, the giraffe and the "wild leaping goat" (otherwise known as the cabriole). From then on, the two enter into a special friendship. The disciplined Emily helps Tanya refine her movements, while Tanya brings laughter to Emily. As in the other Tanya stories, Ichikawa applies her dexterous, empathic humor to the text through lively watercolors. With a palette varied in brightness and tone, Ichikawa evokes mood and place, whether inside the dusky dance hall or in the crisp outdoors. Even more impressively, she conveys Tanya's state of perpetual motion and Emily's unusual grace. Ichikawa and Gauch, like the girls, partner each other beautifully. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-As in Dance, Tanya (1989) and Bravo, Tanya (1992, both Philomel), this little girl's passion for movement shines through here, and she dances in her own, sometimes unconventional, way. She's the wiggliest in the class, always at the end of the line, but finds joy in everything about ballet. When a newcomer, Emily, joins the class, she does everything properly. On a walk through the park, Tanya teaches her new friend to find many inspirations to dance, and Emily teaches Tanya how to do a cabriole. Neither girl is alone anymore, and their friendship reinforces their complementary skills. Ichikawa's watercolors are equally deft in depicting Tanya's free spiritedness and Emily's grace. Like the girls, her lines are always in motion, and Tanya and Emily leap off the pages. The palette is brighter than in the first two books, and Ichikawa uses grays to paint the offsets, which show the companions working and practicing before they actually perform the steps. This book has a larger format than the previous two and reflects that Tanya, too, has grown. Children will be inspired to create their own steps and encouraged by the idea that there is room for more than one style of expression.
Cheri Estes, Dorchester Road Regional Library, Charleston, SC
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (June 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698116356
• ISBN-13: 978-0698116351
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,493,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tanya and Emily in a Dance for Two, July 6, 2001

By 

V. Charbonneau (Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tanya and Emily in a Dance for Two (Mass Market Paperback)

"Tanya and Emily in a Dance for Two" is a wonderful book that introduces children to the ballet, but also to the joys of making a new friend. Tanya is an unpolished, wiggly dancer, while Emily is a graceful, agile ballerina who seems to perform moves effortlessly. The one thing they share in common: both practice alone during ballet class instead of with the other girls. One day after practice, they walk the same way past the zoo. Immediately, Tanya imitates the "dance" of an ostrich and it is not long before they begin dancing the penguin, the giraffe, the leopard and other animals. They start practicing together, with Emily helping Tanya with her moves. Their teacher notices how close they have become and puts them together for a "pas de deux" in the winter recital. Patrica Lee Gauch's text is charming and Satomi Ichikawa simply yet beautifully captures the mood of the story as well as the different ballet steps and "dances". A highly recommended book for young girls.