The Thumbtack Dancer - Tapa dura

"Hard work, persistence, and positivity! The Thumbtack Dancer will engage the eyes, ears, hearts, minds, and FEET of all young readers!" --Michelle Dorrance, dancer, choreographer, founder and Artistic Director, Dorrance Dance; 2015 MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow; 2014 Alpert Award Winner; 2013 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award Winner

"So many wonderful lessons weave together as the art and the story s-l-i-d-e together in a perfect duet." --Gene Medler, founder and director, North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (NCYTE); Director, Rhytm Tap Festival; faculty member, The Ballet School of Chapel Hill; Performing Arts Faculty, Elon University

"Leslie's uplifting and joyful story about a little boy's passion and determination to dance will leave you smiling. Jan's alternating misty and sharper watercolor images echo the energy and joy in this inspiring story." --Diane Dillon, illustrator

"This story full of motion, passion for the art of dance, and onomatopoeia that lets readers hear Gus' tapping will urge readers to add thumbtacks to their own shoes and start dancing!" --Vicky Smith, Kirkus Reviews

"Creativity and hustle open doors (dance studio doors, that is) for an exuberant young dancer." --Sarah Stone, School Library Journal

"This joyful story of persistence comes to life through the written rhythms and Coretta Scott King Award-winner Gilchrist's wonderfully kinetic illustrations, which use swathes of watercolor to depict Gus' energy and movement . . . . This infectious read-aloud will put a smile on kids' lips and set their toes twitching." --Julia Smith, Booklist

Gus is a most promising, most energetic and most talented young dancer who figures out how to make enough money to upgrade his tip-a-tap thumbtack sneakers to a new pair of real tap shoes that could slap-a-dee-dap, slap-a-dee-dap on a real dance floor. He uses his public street dancing and thumbtack shoes to tap his way down the sidewalk and right up to the big red door of the dance studio.