BRAVO, TANYA

The beguiling preschooler who won the right to go to dancing lessons with her big sister in Dance, Tanya (1989) discovers that the class poses an unexpected challenge: distracted by the teacher's claps and her loud counting voice, Tanya has trouble following the music. Fortunately, the sympathetic piano player sees her improvising as she used to, ``all alone in the meadow where she could hear the music in the wind.'' They exchange confidences, and, later, Tanya finds she can listen to the piano and dance in time with the others. Again, Ichikawa captures the joy and energy of the dance in her sensitive paintings, contrasting little Tanya's graceful, independent style with the more practiced formality of the older girls. A lovely, warm story about dancing, learning, and respecting one's own unique identity while adapting to an activity with established rules. (Picture book. 4-8)