What You Need to Know:
• Brontorina heralds individuality and diversity with a whole lot of humor.
• These large themes are addressed brilliantly and age-appropriately by the great James Howe of Bunnicula and
Houndsley and Catina fame .
• The illustrations are just spot-on. Madame Lucille looks just like an aging ballerina/dance master and Brontorina
is the most charming dinosaur ballerina I have ever seen.
• Don't let the dancing theme discourage you from reading it to a boy, the story and the message will appeal to any
gender. |
Sweet Book Summary:
This delightful picture book represents all that's right in a children's story. The endearing Brontorina Aptosaurus dreams of being a ballerina. She shows up one day at Madame Lucille's Dance Academy for Girls and Boys and exclaims, "I want to dance!" Madame Lucille was at first skeptical. Brontorina was rather large and certainly did not have the right shoes, but fellow dancers, Jack and Clara, lobbied hard for Brontorina's admission and Madame Lucille agreed. Unfortunately, after one too many jetes went awry, everyone realized Brontorina was just too big for the studio. But instead of asking Brontorina to leave, the whole studio goes out on a hunt for a space big enough for Brontorina to dance in, but to no avail. Finally Jack has an inspiration and Madame Lucille's academy becomes Madame Lucille's Outdoor Dance Academy for Girls and Boys and Dinosaurs. And thanks to Clara's mom, Brontorina even has her own pair of ballet slippers!
I love this book on so many levels. It makes for a terrific read-aloud and it teaches universal lessons and values. The children's adoption of Brontorina into the group is an ode to diversity and acceptance. Their kindness in trying to figure out a solution for the too large dinosaur is a great example of helping out your neighbors and friends. The children could fit in the dance studio, yet they all pitched in and found space large enough to accommodate their new friend. These themes are just so relevant in our modern world and, certainly, in any pre-school/early elementary classroom. |
Author: James Howe Illustrator: Randy Cecil Published: 2010, 32 pages
Themes: Excellent Read-Aloud, Humor, Dinosaurs, Individuality, Diversity |
Sweet Discussion Questions:
• Have you ever gone out of your way to help a friend?
• Have you ever been told you can't do something that your really wanted to do?
• What do you dream of doing? |
| This recommendation was written by: Melissa Y. |
| Support Independent Book Shops: Click Here to Buy this Book on IndieBound |
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