Deer Dancer: With Audio Recording

by Mary Lyn Ray, Lauren Stringer (Illustrator)

Overview

In this mesmerizing picture book from the author of the New York Times bestselling Stars, a young ballerina finds dancing inspiration in the natural world.

There’s a place I go that’s green and grass,
a place I thought that no one knew—
until the deer came.

This gorgeous picture book from celebrated author Mary Lyn Ray features luminous and evocative art from Lauren Stringer and will capture the hearts of young dancers everywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442434226
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	05/06/2014
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	AD490L (what's this?)
File size:	36 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mary Lyn Ray is the author of many picture books for children. Her texts are often praised for their lyricism and emotional depth, and in her works, she frequently focuses on humankind’s relationship with nature. Among her critically acclaimed titles are Stars, Christmas Farm, Pumpkins, The Thank You Book, and Go to Sleep, Little Farm.

Lauren Stringer has illustrated many celebrated picture books, including Deer Dancer by Mary Lyn Ray; The Princess and Her Panther by Wendy Orr; Scarecrow and Snow, both written by Cynthia Rylant; as well as her own Winter Is the Warmest Season, When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky, and Dark Was Done. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit her at LaurenStringer.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2014
PreS-Gr 2—Feeling a bit discouraged about her skills as a dancer, a little girl finds inspiration in a magical encounter with a deer in a peaceful clearing. Her ballet teacher has instructed her students to hold their heads as if they are wearing antlers, so it seems as though the two were destined to meet. They leap and dance around the meadow together, exulting in their ability to move with liveliness, strength, and grace. The deer eventually departs, leaving the girl to rejoice in her newfound confidence and to dance alone. Stringer's artwork is nothing short of mesmerizing. The shades of green saturating the book are rich and energizing. The deer looks squarely at readers on one page, to breathtaking effect. The little girl wears a sparkly tutu with a T-shirt, leggings, and high tops, so she will be recognizable to many readers. Ray's spare writing is lovely and appropriate in its quietness, reflecting the hushed awe and respect of the little girl for her dance partner and their stage. This is a spectacular book, celebrating the outdoors, dance, and the beauty inside each of us.—Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

School Library Journal

03/17/2014
The team behind Mud and Red Rubber Book Day return with another story celebrating a child’s connection to nature—in this case, the child in question is a young dancer who practices outdoors in a spot “that’s green and grass, a place I thought that no one knew.” Dressed in tights, tutu, tank top, and T-shirt (it’s clear that, in addition to a love of dance, she has a strong sense of personal style), the girl is startled by the appearance of a deer; they size each other up before the deer disappears into the woods. During a second chance meeting, girl and deer share a dance together—a moment heightened by the almost supernatural greens and yellows Stringer uses to paint this secluded forest refuge. Her stylized acrylics emphasize the deer’s lithesome grace, too, giving it a coyly pointed snout and spindly legs that look permanently en pointe. Ray’s verselike prose captures both the way the girl finds inspiration in nature and the joy she finds in dancing when no one is watching her—no one two-legged, anyway. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly