Every Friday at the school assembly, one student gets to perform on stage. Today is John’s turn. The narrator can tell that John, who has light brown skin, is nervous. During Mr. Ross’s announcements, John changes his clothes. And then Mr. Ross introduces him. “‘What’s John gonna do?’ Andre asked without raising his hand.” Mr. Ross says that John is going to do a dance. “The music was strings, violins and things, and then maybe flutes. Someone said, ‘How the heck do you dance to that?’ (It was probably Tiffany.)” Kids laugh and are shushed by a teacher. And then John begins to dance. John dances ballet for ten nearly wordless pages; as he does, his face transforms from nerves to joy. Then he takes a bow. “We clapped,” says the narrator, and now it’s the faces of the other children that are full of joy. The unidentified narrator offers honest observations that lend veracity to the setting and events of this singular school story. Expressive ink and paint illustrations convey the flow of John’s movement as he performs and reflect the feelings of John and his audience, passing on a sense of happiness and triumph to readers and listeners. (Ages 5-8)

E. B. White Read-Aloud winner Mac Barnett celebrates individuality in a story told with tenderness and subtlety.

It’s John’s big day at school today—a performance for Sharing Gifts time. His bag is carefully packed and prepared, his classmates are ready, and the curtain is waiting to open. John is nervous, looking out at all the other children staring back at him. But he takes a big breath and begins. Mac Barnett’s compassionate text and Kate Berube’s understated and expressive art tell the story of a kid who finds the courage to show others his talent for dancing.