 illustrated by Betsy Lewin Henry Holt ages 4-8 Order This Book |
Dumpy La Rue wanted to dance "Pigs don't dance," said his mother. "They bellow, they swallow, they learn how to wallow. But Dumpy La Rue was a pig who knew what he wanted to do. He twirled in the sty, raised his snout to the sky, spread his hooves far and wide, and pretended to fly. |
The whole barnyard gathers around and in no time, hooves are stomping, wings are flapping, and feet are stamping out a beat. This romping, rhyming story combined with Betsy Lewin's exuberant illustrations will have you dancing a jig with this passionate pig!
REVIEWS
"A barrel-shaped Baryshnikov soars over his assigned role in life in this breezy toe-tapper from a pair of picture-book veterans. To Winthrop's narrative filled with rhymes but irregular enough to have a jazzy, improvisational feel, Lewin matches splotchy, brush-lined farmyard scenes featuring a stylishly posed piglet joined by sashaying chorus lines of rats, chickens, cattle and other livestock."
-Kirkus Reviews
"There is nothing more adorable than a dancing pig. Dumpy La Rue is a star!"
-Jacques d'Amboise
Founder of National Dance Institute and former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet
"The musical quality of the text makes it a perfect read-aloud. through Dumpy's warmth and enthusiasm, children will meet a youngster who marches to the beat of his own drummer, and who encourages others to do so as well."
-School Library Journal
Starred Review
"Winthrop's high-spirited text stands up well to Lewin's strong artwork. There's plenty of bounce here in the lively text and the exuberant line and watercolor pictures, some of which fairly leap off the pages..."
-Booklist