Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance - Tapa dura

Sif's story, sweet but not saccharine, is written in tuneful prose, but I was even more charmed by her cleverly detailed pencil drawings. Colored digitally in rich greens, reds, browns and blues, they're simultaneously handsome and adorable.
--The New York Times Book Review

Sif's illustrative style places whimsical, cartoonlike figures in dreamy bucolic backgrounds painted in a muted palette of ochre and olive, peopled with figures and animals in a landscape inspired by Scandinavian folk tales. The story of Frances Dean's artistic journey from shrinking violet to exuberant dancer is sensitively told in a way that will give courage to other children who have felt shy about expressing themselves artistically.
--Kirkus Reviews

The text is so spare that it's more poetry than prose, and its understated presence allows the artwork to shine. The pages are filled with warm, earth-toned illustrations of adorable woodland creatures, inviting outdoor settings, and the endearing expressions of Frances Dean as she contemplates revealing what makes her so very happy. This sweet, simple book is an utterly charming reminder that giving the best parts of ourselves enriches the world around us.
--School Library Journal

Charming pencil illustrations, colored digitally, in a variety of double-page spreads and small vignettes, are filled with lively action. ... Children will applaud the girl's hopeful decision to act on what brings her joy.
--Booklist Online

In Birgitta Sif's hushed illustrations, with tiny sharp details set in soft shades of mustard, olive and mauve, we see the child poised in an arabesque atop a bench in an empty park, blissfully unwatched. ... By the final double-page illustration in this endearing book for 4- to 8-year-olds, the park is still full of birds, as usual, but now also of music and movement.
--The Wall Street Journal

This is a beautiful story that will help any child who has ever felt embarrassed by what they love to do.
--Library Media Connection

A heartwarming story about sharing yourself with the world and never fearing what will happen, this is a must read for any child.
--East Bay Express

From the award-winning author of Oliver comes a book that glows from the inside out, a book that will move you to be yourself — and get dancing.

Frances Dean loves to dance. She feels the wind and she dances. She hears singing birds and she dances. In her every waking moment, she is inspired to move. But as soon as anyone is around, Frances Dean’s knees begin to tremble, butterflies start to flutter in her tummy, and she forgets how to dance. Will she ever find the courage to share her talent with others and feel free?