I Have Another Language -- The Language Is Dance

A little girl revels in the excitement of performing in her first dance recital in which she can express everything she was unable to put into words.

Grade 1-3-- Readers follow a young dancer as she spends the day getting ready for her first recital, from practicing in class to dressing in her costume and having makeup applied just before the curtain rises. Schick also shows the child's emotions before, during, and after her performance; these are skillfully woven into her dance expression. The illustrations are done in impressionistic charcoal and black pencil, with the shades of gray and black printed on a wide, cream backdrop; they heighten the sense one has of this youngster's deep emotions for her art. The girl, her fellow students, and their teacher are of an ethnic mix, a real plus since so many dance books for younger readers portray this art form as an all-white world. The end result is a picture book that should appeal to young dancers, particularly those who are fans of Rachel Isadora's Opening Night (Greenwillow, 1984; o.p.). --Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In spare prose and soft-pencil illustrations, Schick (a former dancer who studied with Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey) evokes a day in the life of a young African-American performer, beginning with a glimpse of home and school but focusing on dance class and her first stage appearance, when ``every movement feels more real than it ever has before'' and when last night's dreams combine with the morning's first hint of spring to create ``Things I can't say in words,'' but can suddenly express with dance. The appealing soft gray of the illustrations is just right for this mood piece; with precise yet understated line and gentle shading, Schick depicts the narrator's joy and captures the special grace of a memorable performance. (Picture book. 5-10) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.