The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Stroud, Bettye

Dance Y'All

32 pp. | Cavendish | September, 2001 | Trade ISBN 0-7614-5065-3 $$15.95

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright & Ying-Hwa Hu. His relatives have all come to celebrate the harvest, but Jack Henry is too preoccupied to join in the dancing: he's seen a large snake in the barn where he will be sleeping that night, and he's afraid. Stroud's text adeptly fleshes out the conflicting emotions of the main character while providing ample excitement and a fitting conclusion. Warm autumn light permeates the dramatic double-page watercolors.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin