Recently, I came across a list of books for young boys who dance (while trying to see if I could find my blog on Google by searching for “boys dance”…to no avail). I never knew there were so many books available for young boys who dance. Julian is much too old for them now, but I wish I’d know about them when he was 3-8 or so. 

Before posting the list, which comes from Amazon.com, I have to say this: As a writer, and aspiring nonfiction book author, I encourage you not to buy these books from Amazon, but, instead, to purchase them from your local bookseller – the smaller the better.  First, Internet bookstores threaten to put your local booksellers out of business. Second, Amazon, along with its subsidiary, BookSurge (a Print-on-demand publishing company), is trying to create a monopoly in the print-on-demand industry. They are forcing authors to use BookSurge under threat of not having a “buy button” available on Amazon. That means that authors who use another print-on-demand publisher, or some other type of self-publishing method, will not be able to sell their books on Amazon as they have been able to do in the past. I do not support their efforts. I hope you won’t either by boycotting Amazon whenever possible. Ask your local bookseller to order these books for you…

Anyway, after that lecture, I’ve included the titles below:

 

1.     The Only Boy in Ballet Class by Denise Gruska 

2.     Ballerino Nate by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

3.      Dancing Larry by Daniel Manus Pinkwater

4.     Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman

5.     Alvin Ailey by Andrea Pinkney

6.     Knockin’ on Wood: Starring Peg Leg Bates by Lynne

7.     Happy Feet: The Savoy Ballroom Lindy Hoppers and Me by Richard Michelson

8.     Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

9.      The Dancer Who Flew: A Memoir of Rudolf Nureyev by Linda Maybarduk

10.   Sparks Fly High: The Legend of Dancing Point by Mary Quattlebaum

11.  Oliver Button Is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola

12.   Sailor Boy Jig by Margaret Wise Brown

13.   The Dancing Tiger by Malachy

14.   James the Dancing Dog by Linda Maybarduk

15.   Another Celebrated Dancing Bear by Gladys Scheffrin-Falk

16.   Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance by Keith Graves

17.   The Boy Who Wanted to be a Dancer by Rod Gambassi

18.   Rap A Tap Tap (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books) by Leo Dillon

19.   Jose! Born to Dance: The Story of Jose Limon (Tomas Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award (Awards)) by Susanna Reich

20.   Brothers of the Knight (Picture Puffin Books) by Debbie Allen

21.   Max (Reading Rainbow Book) by Rachel Isadora

22.   Dumpy La Rue (Owlet Book) by Elizabeth Winthrop

23.   Boy, Can He Dance! by Eileen Spinelli

24.   Papa Lucky’s Shadow by Niki Daly

25.   Flying Feet: A Story of Irish Dance by Anna Marlis Burgard

26.   Savion!: My Life in Tap by Savion Glover

27.   Pepito’s Story by Eugene Fern

28.   Peter Penny’s Dance by Janet Quin-Harkin

29.   Dancing To America by Ann Morris

30.   What If They Saw Me Now? by Jean Ure

31.   Arthur Mitchell by Tobi Tobias

And here is the Amazon list: http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Boys-Dancers-Young-Readers/lm/R1ANTS56BK46X2. It says you can access more titles as well.

I am not endorsing any of these books. I have not read them. That said, I’d go for the ones that don’t involve animals. I’d want my young son reading about other real boys or men who dance.