MORNING DANCE
Todd Hannert, MORNING DANCE Todd Hannert
Hannert's first book covers a brief stretch of time in a suburban morning but packs a lot of punch. Sherman, a button-nosed bear, is tired of getting ready for school the same old way. He does a goofy little dance in front of the mirror, drops his toothbrush, loses his footing and soon finds himself tumbling down to the breakfast table via an open window and a ride on the back of his dog. It's no surprise to discover that Hannert's background is in animation—something in nearly every colored-pencil illustration shifts, tilts or flies through the air. The text, rendered in a sort of verse ("I made it out of the bathroom then headed toward the stairs/ This more or less changed a bit since I didn't quite make it there"), provides light-hearted accompaniment for Sherman's antics. Younger children especially will enjoy the bear's buoyant nonsense and his blithe disregard for the warnings issued by his spatula-wielding mother. The story may have the feel of a television cartoon trapped between the covers of a book, but the story's charm is not diminished. Ages 2-6. (Mar.)
closeDetailsReviewed on: 02/19/2001
Genre: Children's
Hannert's first book covers a brief stretch of time in a suburban morning but packs a lot of punch. Sherman, a button-nosed bear, is tired of getting ready for school the same old way. He does a goofy little dance in front of the mirror, drops his toothbrush, loses his footing and soon finds himself tumbling down to the breakfast table via an open window and a ride on the back of his dog. It's no surprise to discover that Hannert's background is in animation—something in nearly every colored-pencil illustration shifts, tilts or flies through the air. The text, rendered in a sort of verse ("I made it out of the bathroom then headed toward the stairs/ This more or less changed a bit since I didn't quite make it there"), provides light-hearted accompaniment for Sherman's antics. Younger children especially will enjoy the bear's buoyant nonsense and his blithe disregard for the warnings issued by his spatula-wielding mother. The story may have the feel of a television cartoon trapped between the covers of a book, but the story's charm is not diminished. Ages 2-6.
Reviewed on: 02/19/2001
Genre: Children's
