“It’s Monday! What are you Reading?” is a meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. as a way for bloggers to swap reading lists. Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, gave it a kidlit focus. Check out the links on their page to see what others are reading this week.
On Saturday, I saw the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform at the Kennedy Center in D.C. In anticipation of the show, I recently read a picture book biography of Ailey and another one about Robert Battle, the company’s current artistic director.
Here are my Goodreads reviews for those books.
Alvin Ailey by Andrea Davis Pinkney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This basic bio of Alvin Ailey, who brought the spirit of African-American traditions to modern dance, would be good for a classroom unit in which students write reports on historical figures. The text is active and the scratchboard illustrations create the sense of motion and flow that ought to be in a dance-centered picture book.
My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey by Lesa Cline-Ransome
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The story of how a little boy wearing leg braces became a 13-year-old beginner dancer and eventually the artistic director for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. While it highlights Battle’s hard work, this picture book doesn’t leave out the guidance and support he received from family members and teachers, who are also part of his story and his dance.
Pairs well with “Alvin Ailey” by Andrea Davis Pinkney, “A Dance Like Starlight by “Kristy Dempsey,” and “Firebird” by Misty Copeland.
Kara Newhouse 
Powerful stories of triumph over adversity through hard work and determination. Thank you for sharing.
I love the look of My Story My Dance – I will have to be on the lookout for that one.