Jenna wants to jingle dance at the next powwow, but she doesn’t have any jingles for her dress. Resourceful and determined, Jenna visits her great-aunt, an older cousin, and a family friend. She asks each woman if she can borrow a row of jingles. Each provides Jenna with a row, and a request, “Will you dance for me?” For the fourth and final row she needs, Jenna asks her Grandma Wolfe, whose dancing inspired Jenna to begin with. There are lyrical turns of phrase in this picture book about a contemporary Mucogee/Ojibway child who achieves her dream with love and support from her elders. Jenna, her family, and friends all embrace cultural traditions while living contemporary lives, as the full-page watercolor illustrations emphasize. An author’s note provides additional facts about Jenna’s heritage and jingle dancing. (Ages 5-8)

Jenna, a contemporary Muscogee (Creek) girl in Oklahoma, wants to honor a family tradition by jingle dancing at the next powwow. But where will she find enough jingles for her dress? An unusual, warm family story, beautifully evoked in Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu's watercolor art.

Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2001, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council