Alexandria LaFaye, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Joining a growing number of picture books portraying African-American fathers, this book shows a dad dancing and singing with his young daughter as his wife rests. It's great to see fathers shown playing with babies. The bright illustrations are alive with movement. The poem that accompanies them is lyrical and fun. It's the type of books kids will love to have read and re-read. They will also enjoy reenactments of the events portrayed. 1999, HarperCollins, $5.95. Ages 3 mo. to 3.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1999)
This abbreviated version of Taylor's poem,"The Baby Dance," drawing upon infants' universal love of song, weaves a few bouncing lines to make listeners wriggle. An African-American father croons to his baby daughter while engaging in a spontaneous and steadily more exuberant dance. "Dance, little baby,/move to and fro/Coo and crow, baby,/there you go." Van Heerden's judicious use of background colors subtly reflect the increasing tempo, as soothing blues gradually intensify into vibrant swirls of orange, yellow, and purple. A boisterous romp. 1999, HarperFestival, $5.95. © 1999 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 1999 (Vol. 52, No. 9))
In this adaptation of Taylor’s poem, Mom is napping on the couch, and Dad hushes their crying baby daughter with a rhythmic swing-around, dance-around game: “Dance, little baby,/ to and fro/ Coo and crow, baby/ there you go.” Father and daughter cavort across varicolored pages, their happy motion indicated by swooshes of white chalk against deep-toned backgrounds. The father’s white shirt glows against his brown skin and provides a focal point for each spread; baby’s black curls are tied up in bouncing blue, green, and yellow bows that dance along with her “up to the ceiling,/ down to the ground/ Backward, forward,/ ’round and ’round.” A good board book is worth its weight in dancing babies--here’s a sturdy title that will become a toddler collection staple. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 1999, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1999, HarperFestival, 14p, $5.95. Ages 6 mos-2 yrs.

Jill Evans (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 12, No. 2))
All the books within the Harper Growing Tree series are beautifully illustrated. The hard books and pages are ideal for little hands to hold and carry. The teachers along with the children will want to read the books over and over. The only book that might not be for the appropriate age was BUMBLE BEE. This book is beautifully illustrated, but the words are hard to understand, and the children will likely lose interest. Words such as "timothy" and "golden plunder" lose the interest of the readers and those listening. Harper has published a series that is perfect for the Infant and Toddler program. The teachers are impressed with the quality of the books as well as the illustrations. This series is highly recommended for nursery, preschools, and anyone working with newborns to two-and three-year-olds. The favorite book within the series is BABY DANCE. This book focuses on a daddy dancing with his daughter. There are not very many books that share the bonding time of Daddy and child. It is a delight watching Daddies read BABY DANCE to their little ones. The vibrant colors and artistic motions make the reader feel as if he/she is dancing. YOU ARE MY PERFECT BABY is a wonderful book for the newborn child. The parent can play with the child while reading this book. The infant teachers enjoyed sharing this story with their babies. The older children enjoy the book and ask questions about when they were younger. It is an excellent book for family coordinators who go into the homes of expecting teenagers. It is a simple book but celebrates the arrival of a child. SHOW ME! also involves child play and interaction while reading. It helps parents and teachers interact in simple games with young children. PURRRRR is a book that also motivates children in speech and word development. Again the illustrations are purrrfect! Fiction, Highly Recommended. Grades Preschool-3. 1999, HarperFestival, Unpaged, $5.95. Ages 2 to 9.