THE ONLY WAY TO DANCE

On a gray, rain-soaked street, a glowing dance studio doorway pulls a child into a world alive with rhythm and color.

Inside, the studio hums with motion as the youngster wanders from room to room, each spread revealing a new style: ballet at the barre, swirling hula, the powerful unity of the haka, and more. As the journey continues, Mello’s illustrations grow more abstract and electric: Technicolored breakdancers explode across pop-art panels of bold color and looping shapes, with figures that blur into their surroundings, making movement, music, and space feel inseparable. Layered panels, cinematic perspective, and repeated motifs create a mural-like quality, evoking both street art and a vibrant, citywide pulse. Shifting layouts—from full-bleed scenes to crisp panels—showcase global traditions like the Chinese dragon dance, the First Nations round dance, and Brazilian capoeira. Quintero’s celebratory prose details what dancers need—a beat, a space, and music—and what dance can be: ritual, joy, connection. Backmatter adds depth with cultural context to the many featured dance types and a how-to for dancing the Colombian cumbia. Our protagonist has brown skin and braids, and the performers are refreshingly diverse in skin tone, body shape, ability, and dress, grounding the book’s central message: The only right way to dance is your way.

Bold, bright, and twirling with heart.