13. Two Ballerinas and a Moose

13. Two Ballerinas and a Moose. James Preller. Illustrated by Abigail Burch. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [early reader, 4 stars]

First sentence: Two ballerinas. One in red. One in blue. Look at their fancy clothes. Look at their pointy toes. Me too! I want to dance too!

Premise/plot: Can a Moose dance ballet? Maybe. Maybe not. The other two dancers--to be fair--are also animals.

My thoughts: I like this one well enough. I do. Do I love, love, love it? No. Is it silly? Yes. For an early reader does it have an enjoyable enough story? Yes.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers

169. Ballewiena

Ballewiena. Rebecca Bender. 2022. 32 pages. [Source: Library] 

First sentence: Dotty dreamed of being a ballet dancer. When told to sit, she would plie. When asked to stay, she would assemble. When commanded to roll over, she would pirouette.

Premise/plot: Dotty [a dachshund] loves, loves, loves to dance. However, her owner doesn't see a brilliant ballerina-dog in the making, she sees a dog in need of obedience training. The obedience school doesn't see a brilliant dancer either, just a disobedient dog who seems incapable of sitting, staying, or following basic commands. Will Dotty's dancing ever be praised and appreciated?

My thoughts: I absolutely love, love, love, love, love, crazy love the title of this one. The word play of ballerina and ballewiena was great fun. The narrative itself was enjoyable. I liked it well enough. I didn't love it, but I liked it. This dog loves to dance. And it's fun to imagine a dog dancing, but, the text gets a bit repetitive after a while. Almost becoming more of a lesson in all the dance terminology than a story-story. That being said, I am thankful there was a pronunciation guide provided on the end papers. 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers

21. The More the Merrier

The More the Merrier. Davie Martin. Illustrated by Raissa Figueroa. 2021. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Hey, hey, here comes Bear--
Over rocks, under trees,
Kicking feet, bending knees,
Stepping high, stepping low,
Stepping fast, stepping slow.
And he's not alone, or not for long,
Loose as a goose...
It's Moose!

Premise/plot: The More the Merrier is a fun rhyming book starring LOTS of forest animals. These animals each have their own unique way of being happy, of having fun.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I liked the rhyme and rhythm of it all. I like books that have a good flow. Some books just have this certain something that makes them great to share as a read aloud. One's appreciation for the text is improved upon reading aloud and hearing it. (Not that it is not enjoyable read silently.) It's just that poetry is meant to be heard or dare I say it... performed???

I think this one should be published as a board book as well.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers

14. ¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! the Dance That Crossed Color Lines

¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! the Dance That Crossed Color Lines. Dean Robbins. Illustrated by Eric Velásquez. 2021. [November] 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Millie whirled.
Her arms waved and knees wriggled.
She danced to smooth jazz songs
in her Italian neighborhood.
Trumpets tooted.
Saxophones trilled.
No one danced to jazzy songs like Millie.
Pedro jumped.
His shoulders jerked and elbows jiggled.
He danced to snappy Latin songs in his Puerto Rican neighborhood.
Maracas rattled.
Congas rumbled.
No one danced to Latin songs like Pedro.

Premise/plot: Mambo Mucho Mambo is a picture book celebrating dance, music, and integration. Set in New York City in the 1940s, the book showcases how neighborhoods (of different cultures and ethnicities) came together--and DANCED together--to the new sound of Latin jazz. Soon dancing became socializing became so much more. This picture book mentions--by name--some of the couples dancing together. Millie and Pedro were a real life couple AND dance team from the time period. (Dance brought them together. AKA: They danced and danced and fell in love.) The book is told in verse.

My thoughts: After reading the book, of course I just HAD to look up the artist Machito & His Afro-Cuban Orchestra. (You can find them on Spotify. Here is a link to the Complete Columbia Masters.) There is a song called "Mambo Mucho Mambo".

I loved this one. I do enjoy a good book that celebrates music.

The illustrations were wonderful!!! 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers