“Langston liked basketball, but he adored ballet.” It was an Alvin Ailey dance concert that sparked Langston’s passion. He begins practicing in front of the mirror while he waits for his first dance class. On the day he arrives at the studio, he passes a tap class, an African dance class, and a hip-hop class before arriving at ballet, where Ms. Marie, the teacher, is calling out “First position.” The line of students, all girls, move their feet into a V. Standing in the doorway, in the red basketball uniform he’s donned for his first lesson, Langston does the same. When Ms. Marie finds him a pair of dance shoes, Langston leaps joyfully across the room after putting them on. “You must work very hard to be a ballet dancer,” Ms. Marie tells him. “I will,” Langston replies. And in the final two images, showing an older Langston dancing, it’s clear he does. A book that focuses on a young Black boy’s passion for dance is set against digitally rendered, realistic illustrations that amplify his joy in every movement. (Ages 4-8)

A young Black boy dreams of dancing in this exuberant, buoyant picture book celebrating the beauty of dance, and the wonder of Black Boy Joy—perfect for fans of Firebird and Crown!

Langston likes basketball okay, but what he loves is to dance—ever since he saw the Alvin Ailey Dance Company perform. He longs to twirl into a pirouette, whirl into a piqué. He wants to arabesque and attitude, grand battement and grand jeté. When he walks, the whole street is his stage.

With his neighborhood cheering him on, will Langston achieve his dream?