Drumbeat in Our Feet

November 27, 2006
With an "Eh-way!" and "Doom, doom, da!" Keeler (A Huge Hog Is a Big Pig
) and Leitão bring African dance to life. Dynamic illustrations and a lyrical narrative depict children in New York City ("Coming from Brooklyn, coming from Harlem,/ The Bronx and down the subway lines") who are part of an African dance troupe. Colorful, motion-filled images of them during practice and performance are juxtaposed with expository side notes and sepia-toned art that set a second stage in Africa. For example, as the American dancers paint their bodies with white dots, the backdrop shows a scene of long-ago African villagers dancing in similarly painted designs: "Thinking about the ancestors/ Once young like us—/ Dancing on/ African soil/ Dancing under/ African clouds/ .../ Breathing African air." The accompanying sidebar explains how the white dots represent ancestral spirits. Each spread spotlights a different aspect of African dance, from its traditions to its instruments, putting into context what the young U.S. dancers are reenacting on the pages. Successfully straddling two continents, this rhythmic work unites them in the last scene, as brightly clad dancers from the New York studio appear on an African landscape. Author notes introduce the Harlem-based dance troupe, Batoto Yetu, which Leitão founded. A map of Africa and a pronunciation guide for African words used in the text wrap up this lively, information-packed book. Ages 5-10.