The More the Merrier

by David Martin, Raissa Figueroa (Illustrator)

Overview

Get ready to move! Everyone is invited as Bear, Moose, and a medley of forest animals join in an impromptu dance—each in their own way.

Stepping high,
galumphing low,
leaping fast,
wiggling slow.

“I like your moves. But I’m not like you. So I’ll just do what I can do.” Some like to kick their feet and bend their knees to the music. Others prefer to slip and slide . . . or swoop down . . . or skip high and low! Whatever their style, children will be drawn by David Martin’s buoyant rhymes and Raissa Figueroa’s vibrant illustrations as Bear, Moose, Snake, and other forest animals dance to their own groove in a rhythmic celebration of individuality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536209181
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	06/15/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	661,298
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.36(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

David Martin has written many books for children, including the Peep and Ducky books, illustrated by David Walker. He is also the author of All for Pie, Pie for All, illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev, and Christmas Tree and Hanukkah Lights, both illustrated by Melissa Sweet. David Martin lives in Vermont.

Raissa Figueroa is the illustrator of several books, including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book We Wait for the Sun, written by Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe. She enjoys hiking, trying out restaurants, and binge-watching new series. She lives in California.

Editorial Reviews

In this fanciful romp of cartoon creatures in a whimsical forest setting with fantasy colors, boldly painted mixed-media joins a light-filled painted background, while small hidden creatures peek out to watch along forest paths. . . . perfectly suited to younger readers or an interactive story time where everyone is encouraged to join in the fun.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

The infectious beat of the rhyming text and repetition of phrases like, “I’m not like you, / So I’ll just do what I can do,” sets up an energetic, predictable pattern ideal for reading aloud. Set against a bucolic, impressionistic woodland background, the loosely rendered, amusing, dynamic illustrations echo this pattern as the creatures (despite the seeming limitations of their various physiques) perform signature interpretive dances with inspired, fluid, free-spirited abandon across double-page spreads until they all collapse in a merry heap. Joyous, upbeat, toe-tapping, hip-swinging, high-stepping fun.
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2021

PreS-K—Six woodland friends join forces to dance with joy in a celebration of the day: Bear moves in a high-stepping jig, followed by "loose as a goose" Moose, wiggling Snake, leaping Deer, Owl with a swirl of his wings, and finally a dancing Baby Mouse. Each can "just do what I can do" while skipping to the dancing rhythm of the beat. More animals join in their carefree "skippity-skipping, flappity-flipping" friendly dance by themselves or partnered in a two-step, with voices raised in song and helpless laughter, followed by sleep. In this fanciful romp of cartoon creatures in a whimsical forest setting with fantasy colors, boldly painted mixed-media joins a light-filled painted background, while small hidden creatures peek out to watch along forest paths. Rhyming text in a linear wave emphasizes rhythmic movement—"singing to trees, singing to sky"—and encourages reader interaction with repetition. VERDICT A suggested first purchase for libraries, this title is perfectly suited to younger readers or an interactive story time where everyone is encouraged to join in the fun.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano I.S.D., TX

School Library Journal

2021-04-14
A bebopping bear inspires other woodland critters to join him.

Bear dances rhythmically along a forest path, “kicking feet, bending knees” while “stepping high, stepping low, / stepping fast, stepping slow,” until he encounters Moose. Admiring Bear’s smooth moves, the “loose as a goose” Moose proceeds to demonstrate his own high, low, fast, slow “galumphing” steps. Then Snake appears, performing unique slithery moves, “wiggling high,” low, fast, and slow. The syncopating trio soon attracts Deer, who jumps in and begins “leaping high, leaping low, / leaping fast, leaping slow.” Surprisingly, Owl silently swoops over this jiving, swinging procession, performing aerial feats high, low, fast, and slow, followed by Baby Mouse, who eagerly shows off “skipping” moves. Eventually, Mouse’s friends join the hilarious dance party, moving in a circle and proving “the more the merrier.” The infectious beat of the rhyming text and repetition of phrases like, “I’m not like you, / So I’ll just do what I can do,” sets up an energetic, predictable pattern ideal for reading aloud. Set against a bucolic, impressionistic woodland background, the loosely rendered, amusing, dynamic illustrations echo this pattern as the creatures (despite the seeming limitations of their various physiques) perform signature interpretive dances with inspired, fluid, free-spirited abandon across double-page spreads until they all collapse in a merry heap.

Joyous, upbeat, toe-tapping, hip-swinging, high-stepping fun. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews