Jellybeans and the Big Dance by Laura Joffe Numeroff, Nate Evans, Lynn M. Munsinger (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Friendship comes in many flavors in the launch of a charming new series by a bestselling author and illustrator team!

Laura Numeroff, Nate Evans, and Lynn Munsinger bring readers a fun new group of sweet friends.

Just as jellybeans are different colors and flavors, each character in this heartwarming friendship story has a personality and pizzazz that young readers will love.

Emily loves to dance and can’t wait to meet the other girls in her class, who are sure to be just like her. But instead she meets Nicole, a tomboy who would rather be playing soccer; Bitsy, who loves arts and crafts; and Anna, a shy bookworm who has no interest at all in dancing. Realizing that they have to work together to make their dance recital a success, the girls learn to love each other’s differences and strengths as they band together and name their group the Jellybeans!

The latest picture book by beloved bestselling authors Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans is as sweet as sugar and features four adorable characters that all children will relate to. With joyful illustrations by Lynn Munsinger that dance off the page, The Jellybeans and the Big Dance will inspire readers to dance, prance, and boogie-woogie to the beat of their own drum.

Publishers Weekly

A heavy-handed message about how individuality and teamwork aren't mutually exclusive threatens to sink this promising girl-power story by the author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookieand her co-author on Sherman Crunchley. But Munsinger's (What Mommies Do Best) anthropomorphized cast keeps it bravely treading water. Emily (a terrier) is a passionate dancer, but her first studio class starts out dismally: all of her classmates (a bunny, a cat and pig) would rather be doing something else ("I like to play soccer," declares one. "My mom made me take this class"). How will the group ever get their act together for their recital performance of "Oh, Little Bug!"? Emily finds inspiration in candy: "Jellybeans are all different flavors," she tells them in a pint-size version of a locker-room pep talk, "but they still go well together. Maybe we could, too." Every girl knows that sisterhood isn't always powerful-in fact, it can be downright snotty-but this book simply steamrolls over its opportunity to model why acceptance and camaraderie are good things. Munsinger's facility with expressions and body language is as impressive as ever: she can do heartbreak, ecstasy, confidence and peevishness without ever compromising the essential species-ness of her characters. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Children's Literature

Emily, an anthropomorphic dog, is mad about dancing. At her first dance class, however, she is a bit disappointed that the other three "girls" are not dance fans. Also, the dance they will do at the recital next month will be to a song called "Oh, Little Bug." No lovely princess roles there. To cheer her, Emily's mother takes her to Petunia's candy shop, where Emily gets an idea. After a disastrous rehearsal, Emily gives each of the girls a bag of jellybeans, since the first letters of their names spell BEAN. Emily hopes that just as they are all as different as the jellybeans, they can still "go well together" as the Dancing Jellybeans. Inspired, they work hard, and manage to perform well for a triumphant recital. Munsinger's watercolors have just the needed quality of lightness to visualize this rather sweet slice of life. They provide each of the "girls" (i.e. cat, pig, and rabbit) with engaging personalities as well as costumes. Cubbies and an upright piano are all that are needed for a believable context. Watching the dance emerge is a lot of fun. A touch of glitter on the jacket adds to the festivities. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2- Right from the glittery cover showing animal ballerinas dancing, it will be hard for young readers to resist this book. Emily the dog dances everywhere, always wears pink, and has high expectations for her first dance class. Unfortunately, her fellow classmates (a pig, cat, and rabbit) would rather play soccer, paint, or watch shyly than work on their "Oh, Little Bug!" dance. With her hopes for new friends and a wonderful princess costume dashed, Emily and her mother seek consolation at the local candy shop. At the next dance class, the pup shares small bags of jellybeans with Nicole, Anna, and Bitsy. She reminds her equally discouraged fellow dancers that, just as the first letters of their names spell out "bean," each jellybean's different flavor still goes well with the others. The dancing Jellybeans decide to make their routine special, and each one uses her talent to teach a performance-related skill to the others. With cute bug costumes and a new sense of camaraderie, the Jellybeans have a winning recital and celebrate with a trip to the store for their favorite candy. Expressive cartoon animals in pastel colors dance and stumble across the pages in an endearing fashion, working out their problems and appreciating each other's uniqueness. Despite a layout best suited for independent reading, the characters and ballet school setting also hold wide appeal for young listeners.-Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD

Kirkus Reviews

Four disparate students plus one dance recital add up to a bundle of trouble in this collaborative effort from Evans and Numeroff. When dance enthusiast Emily meets her fellow classmates, she despairs of them ever performing together. A soccer player, a budding artist and a retiring bookworm, Nicole, Bitsy and Anna are equally perplexed by Emily's fervent love of dancing. However, a visit to her favorite candy shop provides the inspiration Emily needs to foster an esprit de corps among the unlikely foursome. Using a bag of different flavored jelly beans as an analogy for the distinctly unique but complimentary talents each girl can contribute to the recital, Emily encourages the girls to work together. Munsinger's cheerful pastel watercolors feature a cast of typically adorable characters, whose widespread interests holds appeal to a broad audience. This timely tale of forging connections despite seemingly insurmountable differences provides a light-hearted look at the power of cooperative action. (Picture book. 4-8)

Product Details

• ISBN: 081099352X
  
• ISBN-13: 9780810993525
• Format: Hardcover, 32pp
• Publisher: Harry N Abrams Inc
• Pub. Date: March 2008
• Sales Rank: 42,676
• Age Range: 1 to 6