Hello, friends! Our book today is the stunning I Will Dance, written by Nancy Bo Flood and illustrated by Julianna Swaney, an inspiring tale of a young girl’s love of dance.

When Eva was born, she could barely breathe; the doctors said she would not survive more than a few minutes. Yet Eva defied the odds and, ten years of minutes later, she has one dream: to dance. Confined to a motorized wheelchair with very limited mobility, her moms and teachers encourage her to “imagine” or “pretend” that she is dancing, but this simply isn’t enough. Eva wishes she could swirl, glide, leap, and twirl like dancers do, and she will not give up this dream. Yet when one of her moms finds an audition notice for dancers of “all abilities, all ages”, Eva is nervous: what if the others laugh at her, or stare, or tell her she doesn’t belong? Eva must face her fears, but she may find that the ability to dance was actually hers all along.

Incredible. This beautifully inclusive and affirming tale, based on a real-life Eva and the Young Dance Company, uses a singular balance of lyrical text and soft, graceful illustrations to tell a powerful story. Eva’s dance company features children of all sizes, genders, and abilities – other dancers use crutches, walkers, prosthetics, and so on – who work together to rehearse and choreograph a dance that features each person’s unique abilities, culminating in a breathtakingly-illustrated performance sequence. It’s a rare story about disability from the perspective of a physically-disabled person, voiced in a way that invites readers of all abilities to identify and empathize with Eva, sharing both her frustrations and eventual triumph. This one is a little longer than other picture books, but JJ was rapt throughout; she was particularly taken with the visual theme of movement expressed as winding, sweeping lines, and enjoyed tracing them across the pages. This one is simply a must-read; Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)