Jose! Born to Dance: The Story of Jose Limon

by Susanna Reich (Author) Raul Colon (Illustrator)

Jose! Born to Dance: The Story of Jose Limon
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

José was a boy with a song in his heart and a dance in his step. Born in Mexico in 1908, he came into the world kicking like a steer, and grew up to love to draw, play the piano, and dream. José's dreaming took him to faraway places. He dreamed of bullfighters and the sounds of the cancan dancers that he saw with his father. Dance lit a fire in José's soul.

With his heart to guide him, José left his family and went to New York to dance. He learned to flow and float and fly through space with steps like a Mexican breeze. When José danced, his spirit soared. From New York to lands afar, José Limón became known as the man who gave the world his own kind of dance.

¡OLÉ! ¡OLÉ! ¡OLÉ!

Susanna Reich's lyrical text and Raúl Colón's shimmering artwork tell the story of a boy who was determined to make a difference in the world, and did. José! Born to Dance will inspire picture book readers to follow their hearts and live their dreams.

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$19.99

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4 -This story of a young Mexican boy with dreams works better as a picture book than a true biography. Brief anecdotes, presented like a slide show, take readers from Limón's birth through a happy childhood, the Mexican civil war, immigration and adaptation to the United States, and his struggle to become a painter, and then a dancer, in New York City. Colón's watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations on textured paper give a sense of movement and life. Colors are muted, backgrounds are somewhat impressionistic, and there is more energy in the art than in the very simple text. Short sentences, Spanish words scattered about (defined both in context and in a brief glossary on the copyright page), and some rhythm and sound effects make this a good read-aloud, though the lack of emotion at such pivotal moments as the outbreak of war, a mother's death, and Limón's leaving his elderly father for New York, is a weakness. The book gives little sense of the importance of Limón's life as a dancer and choreographer, and his transition from struggling painter to successful dancer is oddly abrupt. A historical note addresses his adult life and impact on dance history. Use this as a story or to pique the interest of children in this artist, but not as a biography." -Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL" Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

The mystery of the creative process comes through in this picture-book biography of dancer Jose Limon, born in Mexico in 1908. Reich's (Clara Shumann: Piano Virtuoso) poetic language evokes the sensual experiences of childhood that inspired the boy's artistic yearnings, while Colon's (My Mama Had a Dancing Heart) artwork, in earthy tones, captures a mood of sober intensity. When civil war causes Jose's family to flee to the United States, he takes along memories of luscious fruit, flamenco dancers and marching soldiers. Readers may feel that the boy's move from drawing and painting to dancing seems abrupt, especially when he debuts onstage just six weeks after his first dance class, but the tale of how quickly he mastered English as a youngster hints at Jose's early passion for mastering nearly everything. Colon's signature style with its visible scratch marks and swirling brushstrokes provide a grainy, textured quality that deftly combines a sense of movement and stillness, as when Jose enters a dance studio for the first time. The onomatopoeic phrases that run throughout the book help to demonstrate the richness of Jose's experiences and how he brings them to bear on his style of dance: "He learned to be fierce like a bullfighter-¡Ole!/ Strong like a soldier-¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Uno! ¡Dos!/ And proud like a king-pum! Jose's story (he later became a world-famous choreographer) attests to the openness and perseverance that artistic passion requires. Ages 5-8. Copyright 2005 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.
Susanna Reich
Susanna Reich is the author of Clara Schumann: Piano Virtuoso, which was named an NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. A former professional dancer, Ms. Reich lives with her family in Ossining, New York.

Raúl Colón is the award-winning illustrator of many picture books, including Draw!, an ALA Notable Book and recipient of the International Latino Book Award; Imagine!, an ALA Notable Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for Kids, and a BookPage Best Book; Susanna Reich's José! Born to Dance; Angela's Christmas by Frank McCourt; and Jill Biden's Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops. Mr. Colón lived in Puerto Rico as a young boy and now resides in New City, New York, with his family.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780689865763
Lexile Measure
610
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date
August 01, 2005
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Cultural Heritage
JNF007060 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Performing Arts
JNF039020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Performing Arts | Dance
Library of Congress categories
United States
Choreographers
Dancers
Limon, Jose

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