SARAH'S SOLO

A young dancer discovers terpsichorean beauty at a Jewish wedding.

Instead of dancing her solo at the ballet recital, Sarah has to attend her cousin’s wedding. Defiantly dressed in her ballet costume, Sarah finds herself drawn in by the beautiful movements of the Jewish wedding ceremony. At the reception, the klezmer band plays as friends and family dance around the bride and groom. Sarah doesn’t want to join in—it’s not as graceful as ballet—but when her cousin pulls her into the circle, Sarah loses herself in the music as she dances her solo at long last. The descriptive third-person narration provides natural pauses for questions and discussion during a read-aloud. While Sarah’s love of dance is a major plot driver, this book is more about Jewish culture than ballet. Backmatter provides insight into Jewish wedding traditions. Unfortunately, there are two illustrations that incorrectly depict ballet positions and movements. Ballet inconsistencies aside, the celebratory illustrations are cheerful and inviting. They employ exuberant, sometimes squiggly, linework and a color palette contrasting rosy red with cool turquoise and blue. Main characters are drawn with pale pink skin; Sarah has red hair. Wedding guests and musicians include people of all ages with a variety of skin tones, hair colors/textures, and body shapes. One guest uses a wheelchair.

Teaches about and celebrates Jewish religious and cultural wedding traditions.