My Friend Maya Loves to Dance

by Cheryl Willis Hudson, Eric Velásquez (Illustrator)

A young narrator tells readers about her friend Maya, who absolutely loves to dance. In this rhyming picture book, Maya attends a lively dance class. She can’t get enough of the costumes, the grand entrances, the pirouettes, the music, the final bow, and the magic of recitals. She even loves the hard work of practice. But why doesn’t her friend dance, too? The pages themselves seem to dance, thanks to the charming verse of Cheryl Willis Hudson and the vibrant colors and motion of Eric Velasquez’s paintings.  

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Friendship, African American, Storytime, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Cheryl Willis Hudson is vice president and editorial director of Just Us Books, an independent publisher of black-interest books for children and young adults. She has written many books for children, and lives in New Jersey.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I appreciated that the protagonist Maya is both female and of African heritage. I also liked that overall the book was populated by people of colour.

The illustrations in this book are exquisite. I paint and find the human form very difficult to draw. Velasquez captured not just human forms, but ones in motion, and that seemed to really be moving in their beautiful dancing moves. I also initially thought these pictures were done in coloured pencils because of their delicate details and so was surprised to learn that they are, in fact, done in oil paints. Finally, Vleasquez did a fabulous job of not just capturing the movements and details of the characters, but also the lighting and shading of the scenes.

For me, the only drawback was in the rhythms of the text. The rhymes worked fairly well, but several times, I found the lines to have a beat too short or too many. These hiccups made reading seem a bit like walking up an uneven set of stairs.

Overall, this is a great book, with solid rhyming text and beautiful illustrations. I will look up other work by this author and this illustrator.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book celebrates dance of all types. Maya just happens to be a young Black girl who loves to dance. The rhyming text shows just how much Maya loves dance and music. She loves dancing in kente cloth the best "dressed in cowrie shells or lace, Maya dances with grace/ And a look of pride on her face." The illustrator shows Maya in her wonderful kente cloth outfit no doubt dancing to African rhythms. There's also a brief education in Black music and musicians with illustrations showing a Black cello player, Louis Armstrong, and other Black musicians I'm sorry I can not identify right now. (I'll look them up!) There's another spread with an orchestra, a calypso drum group (reggae) and a choir. Maya loves them all!

At the very end of the book, the last page says "Dancing is magic for her and for me" and the "me" in the text is a girl who is a wheelchair user. She's an artist who sketches a picture of Maya dancing. I can't quite make out her name. She seems to have difficulty writing.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maya is a young girl who loves all kinds of dance. It gets really specific about some ballet things, but also mentions jazz, dancing at church, and African dance.

The text rhymes but has no rhythm, which makes it hard to read.

And it's told from the perspective of a friend, who we learn at the end is wheelchair bound. She says Maya's dance is magic for her (the friend), too, but never says why.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maya loves to dance! She loves many forms and styles of dance, and will dance everywhere, from when she's in dance class to when she's hanging out with friends at the mall. Narrated by Maya's friend who is depicted as an artist (carrying a sketchbook in both pictures), this book oozes appreciation for a friend's joy and accomplishment, which is super sweet. Maya is Black, Maya's friend is White and uses a wheelchair.

Themes: Friendship, Dance
Age range: Toddler-Kindergarten

[Jessie]

The switch into French for ballet class (and not just for the steps) is really distracting; there's no reason for it. The text overall doesn't have the kind of rhythm that a book about dance really ought to.

Also didn't love the "my friend" framing here. It's unclear why the narrator is telling this story. (And wheelchair users can dance!)

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for any boy or girl. I was happy to see male dancers lined up aside the girls in one illustration. There are many cultural references, which is great. Confidence, joy, and dedication are weaved in and out throughout the story. and best part of course is BEAUTIFUL illustrations!

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maya loves to dance to all sorts of music. She is shown dancing many different forms, in many different costumes, and in many different locations. Celebrates music and dance.

Storytime:
Dance
Friends

[Brittany Thurman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story that shows a young girl doing a variety of dances.

[Caitlyn Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to discuss different languages and allows students to get into the character's shoes!

[Dareen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has many cultural references within it, which is great when teaching about other cultures! It also is a great book for teaching students about confidence and dedication.

[Drusilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet children's book for beginning dancers. Great surprise ending!

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this rhyming, rhythmic picture book about a girl who loves to dance. Will definitely be using it in my Let's Dance storytime program next week.

[zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is so wonderful.

[Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story about a young girl who loves to dance. Her friend, the narrator of the story, is in a wheelchair and is so proud watching her friend do something she loves. While it may have been a nice spin to the story to have Maya involve her friend in dance, it was not necessary. She was happy simply to watch her friend. This book comes with a lot of controversy. I believe this controversy comes from parents who do not want to take on the responsibility of teaching their children about children with disabilities. I feel this book does a nice job including a child with a disability, but not making the entire story about them and what they may be going through. The book is reflective of how children with disabilities should be incorporated in every day life. They can enjoy their friends activities and be happy for them just like everyone else.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why can't an African American girl who loves ballet just dance ballet, and ballet alone?

Why does she have to dress up in kente and cowries to offset her ballet class? Would an Asian child have to wear a kimono or a Jewish child have to be shown dancing the hora?

This is a beautiful ballet book. The lines of the illustration are pitch perfect. The correct ballet terms are used. And if you insist on being politically correct, Maya's teacher is also African American, a grownup black ballerina!

But adding the other dance bits seems to say, "It's okay. Maya is an African American girl who likes ballet, but she's still a homegirl."

It's gratuitous. It's unneeded. And it does injustice to girls who love ballet, no matter what the color of their skin.

[Becky Birtha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many a young dancer has learned that ballet is the foundation for any serious study of dance. So it makes perfect sense that, although Maya, the young African American dancer in Cheryl Willis Hudson's beautifully illustrated My Friend Maya Loves to Dance, loves Bach, reggae, and gospel, and explores tap, jazz, blues, rap, and praise-dancing, there will also be plenty of ballet. The rhyming text fits the dance theme. I liked the artist's portrayal of the different musical styles as a background for Maya's playful moves, and especially enjoyed seeing boys included in the ballet class. The surprise at the end worked, but was also a bit disappointing. I'd love to see a companion book in which Maya's friend gets to be a star in her own right.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this rhythmic, rhyming story, the narrator shares her best friend’s love of dance. She explains all of the ways Maya loves to dance, all the places she loves to dance at, and all the outfits she loves to dance in. It is clear that the narrator loves to watch her friend, Maya, dance just as much as Maya loves to do it. Moreover, the vibrant watercolor illustrations explain that the narrator uses a wheelchair, suggesting that she cannot dance in all the ways that Maya can, so she experiences that love through her friend. This story demonstrates not only the theme of friendship, but also diversity in race and physical ability. The narrator may be unable to dance just like her friend, but she learns to love it just as much through her friendship with Maya.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book, the incorporation of French terms, the diversity of dance, and Maya loving all of it. My biggest problem was the choice in narrator, or more to the point, her lack of involvement of the Maya's favorite activity. I think this title would have been better had it gone one of two ways- Maya's love of dance encourages her wheelchair bound best friend to try and experience it for herself or Maya's love of dance stands alone without the surprise narrator. As it stands it just felt forced, almost like an afterthought, and left me feeling more like I can't rather than I could.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I read through this story about Maya who loves to dance I was expecting more. I was expecting that maybe Maya was visually impaired or another aspect of incorporating children with disabilities into the story. Unfortunately this failed to really communicate a powerful story and instead settled for something so much less.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book incorporates dance terms, French words, and active verbs into a story about Maya. I found the language endearing and fun, but when the narrator (Maya's friend) was revealed I was disappointed in the overt message.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are awesome and I love how they show Maya leaping, bending, and reaching. Some dance terminology is in the book as well. A great way to have a discussion about ballet class. The book also involves rhyming and learning about diversity.

[Jennifer Oaks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how this book is told from a friend's perspective. Maya's friend recognizes the passion that she has for dancing. It would be a good book to use in the classroom to talk about friendship and admiring each other's talents.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maya loves to dance and throughout the book readers see her dance in a variety of settings, wardrobes, and genres. The text has a nice rhythm to it, though the story doesn't really build towards anything. The artwork is what truly allows Maya to shine in this book.

PreK-2.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much of a story, but lovely illustrations.

[Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet. Nice, unexpected spin at the end.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good illustrations. The narrator of the books is a girl in a wheelchair.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story, pleasant rhyming text. Warm, appealing illustrations.

[SBPL Storytime · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book about dance and friendship

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

borring!! i really didn't like this book.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical and moving. Lovely illustrations.