José! Born to Dance tells the story of a boy born in a small Mexican village who became one of the greatest dancers of all time—José Limón.
José was a boy with a song in his heart and a dance in his step. Born in Mexico in 1908, he came into the world kicking like a steer, and grew up to love to draw, play the piano, and dream. José's dreaming took him to faraway places. He dreamed of bullfighters and the sounds of the cancan dancers that he saw with his father. Dance lit a fire in José's soul.
With his heart to guide him, José left his family and went to New York to dance. He learned to flow and float and fly through space with steps like a Mexican breeze. When José danced, his spirit soared. From New York to lands afar, José Limón became known as the man who gave the world his own kind of dance.
Susanna Reich's lyrical text and Raúl Colón's shimmering artwork tell the story of a boy who was determined to make a difference in the world, and did. José! Born to Dance will inspire picture book readers to follow their hearts and live their dreams.---from the publisher
32 pages 978-0689865763 Ages 7-10
Keywords: biography, dance, Latino, diversity, diverse books, performing arts, Fine Arts Curriculum, determination, perseverance, dreams, 7 year old, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old
Read alikes: Alvin Ailey by Andrea Pinkney; Firebird by Misty Copeland; Langston Loves to Dance by Kaija Langley
Editor's Note: Winner of the Tomas Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award
