SOPHIE’S DANCE
by Knister & illustrated by Mandy Schlundt
On the evening of the annual town dance, Sophie is left behind with Grandma Elizabeth, a widow who used to love dancing with her husband in her younger days. The exuberant little girl convinces her grandmother that they should go to the dance together, and Sophie watches as her grandmother puts on lipstick and a special party dress so she will look “extra, extra pretty.” At the outdoor dance, Grandma meets a kind, older man who dances with both grandmother and granddaughter, giving each of them compliments in turn. Bold illustrations in a loose, flowing style draw the reader into Sophie’s cozy life in a rural village, showing the mutually supportive relationship and love between the two main characters. The extra-large format enhances Schlundt’s impressionistic illustrations done in a soft palette of citrus pastels with thick outlines in shades of gray. Both Sophie and her grandmother learn from each other in the understated, satisfying story, which gently shows that you are never too old (or too young) to enjoy an evening of dancing under the stars. (Picture book. 3-6)