Reich, Susanna. (2005). Illus. Raul Colon. Jose’! born to dance. Simon & Schuster. New York, NY.
Summary:
Jose’! Born to Dance paints the picture of Jose’ Limon’s dreams to become an artist. It describes the hardships faced by he and his family and tells of his journey to New York City and his discouragement with himself as an artist. This book describes his work ethic and his passion for dancing and paints a picture of his life and his dancing career.
Author: Susanna Reich
Illustrator: Raul Colon
Access Features: Glossary, Historical Note, Bibliography
Illustrations: Water color and colored pencil used to create movement in the illustrations. You can almost see the pictures moving through the brush strokes.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Use of book in Classroom: I would use this book to introduce diversity and talk about hardships that people of other cultures or countries face. I would also talk about the part where his family comes to America to escape the rebellion going on in his country and the use of America as a type of “safe house.”
Credibility of Author: Author lists all of the bibliographic information she used while writing this book
Grade Level: K-4
Awards: Tomas Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award
National Standards: Social Studies: Standard 3: People, Places, and Environment; Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity
Related Texts: Alvin Ailey by: Andrea Davis Pinkney-biography of the dancer and choreographer; Ella Fitzgerald: the Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa by: Andrea Davis Pinkney-biography of the singer; Duke Ellington: the Piano Prince and his Orchestra by: Andrea Davis Pinkney-biography of the musician; If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong by: Roxanne Orgill-Musicians early life and hardships while obtaining his musical beginnings.
Response:
This book is extremely visual. The illustrations take up full pages and I can almost feel the movement within them. Susanna Reich does a wonderful job of telling the story of Jose’ Limon. She paints vivid pictures with her words and really makes the reader understand Jose’s passion for dancing and art. Reich tells the story of Limon’s life while also incorporating some of the history of Mexico. I really enjoyed reading this book and would love to use it with my students.
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2 comments:
Another related text: When Marian Sang--Marian Anderson certainly went through a lot to be able to sing in the U.S.
This is so sad. I have never heard of him and I thought I knew influencial dancers!
How is it that performing artists like Jose Limon remain hidden rather than celebrated in the U.S.?
If you still have this book, will you bring it to class?
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