As any parent who’s ever attended a movement or music class with their child can attest, group programs offer parents an opportunity to bond with their little one while reinforcing their journey from crawling to walking to maybe even dancing. While a standing weekly appointment can help busy parents ‘make the time,’ sometimes it’s nice to engage with your toddler in the comfort of one’s own home. DAYANA, DAX, AND THE DANCING DRAGON, the latest offering from the award-winning mother/daughter combo Once Upon a Dance, is a charming, imagination-fueled story that pairs a little girl’s attempt to teach her baby brother to dance with a comprehensive lesson from a professional dancer.

The story begins when Dayana comes home from school and learns that her baby brother, Dax, has just been born. Excited, Dayana sets out to teach Dax how to do her favorite thing in the world: dance. Of course, Dayana quickly realizes that newborns make for underwhelming dance partners. Undeterred, Dayana finds other ways to spend time with her little brother. Then, a few months later, a most improbable thing happens: a magical dragon suddenly appears. But the surprises don’t end there, as Dayana soon learns that the purple dragon just so happens to know how to dance! With the perfect partner in place, Dayana finally finds a way to show off her dance moves to Dax.

From cover to cover, DAYANA, DAX, AND THE DANCING DRAGON displays attention to detail. Vibrant illustrations (provided by the talented Olha Tkachenko) depicting key scenes from Dayana’s adventure perfectly compliment the instructional component of this book. Additionally, there are a series of photos (featuring Konora, a professional ballerina) depicting the various moves discussed in the story. Even the title, which may appear to be a simple exercise in alliteration, shows the authors’ thoughtfulness. The trio of Dax, Dayana, and Kadeena (the dancing dragon) encompasses both gendered and non-gendered pronouns, infusing the whole package with an aura of inclusion.

In fact, the Once Upon a Dance duo’s pronounced expertise may be the only tangible issue for readers, as those without any familiarity with dance may struggle to mimic or teach some of the more advanced dance concepts. Pictures of Konora and a detailed instruction provide some guidance, but one can’t help but wonder if a video companion wouldn’t help bridge the gap for novice parents with perfectionist tendencies. A further complication comes by way of a narrative riddled with words and concepts that are certain to challenge the (ages four-to-seven) target audience. Those minor criticisms aside, there’s multiple ways to enjoy this book. Be it as a fun, simple story about a little girl and her friends, an invitation for imagination-fueled playtime, or an introduction to dance fundamentals, DAYANA, DAX, AND THE DANCING DRAGON succeeds on multiple fronts.

In a tech-saturated world, where inspiring movement is an ever-present challenge for many parents, DAYANA, DAX, AND THE DANCING DRAGON is an imagination-fueled adventure that aims to encourage the little dancer in us all.

~James Weiskittel for IndieReader