I Want to Dance in Pants

When trouser-loving Ava receives an invitation to a quinceañera, her mother carts her off to the mall for a new dress. Ava dutifully tries on one after another, but “dresses itch and pinch, squish and squash, ride up or fall down, and plain get in the way,” reactions shown in a comic series of vignettes. Repeating “I want to dance in pants,” she finally persuades her mother, then chooses a bright blue suit with colorful embellishments. At the quinceañera, the choice draws a crowd of dress-clad revelers and leads to a group revelation: “We want to dance in pants!” And an upcoming wedding sees more than just Ava cutting a rug in comfortable garb—even adults get in on the pantsuit action. Modeling advocacy around self-expression and sensory needs, the Hernandezes’ text prioritizes personal limits over social norms, while animation-style art from Martinez leans fittingly into depictions of physical comfort and discomfort. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Back matter includes a creator’s note about sensory processing. Ages 6–7. (Mar.)