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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

“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)

CCBC Choices 2022 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2022. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

January 1, 2022
Ballet brings Black boy joy to life in full color. An exuberant brown-skinned boy with an impressive flat-top haircut, Langston enjoys basketball but loves ballet. When he and his mother attend an Alvin Ailey dance performance, Langston is riveted. A Black male dancer performs a grand jete so high that he breaks through the frame of the illustration. Heading to his very first ballet lesson, Langston dances for everyone he meets (captured in a joyous double-page spread showing him leaping and twirling through a series of vignettes) but falters briefly when an older kid tells him, "Boys don't dance like that." At Ms. Marie's dance studio, Langston passes co-ed classes of kids learning hip-hop, African dance, and tap on his way to his ballet class, which consists only of girls wearing pastel tutus and white ballet slippers. He joins in and emulates Ms. Marie's movements in his sneakers until she uncovers a pair of black ballet slippers that she says he must work hard to earn. He eagerly agrees, and the final illustrations suggest that he delivers on his promise. Langston's red basketball jersey and shorts stand out visually and reflect the character's bold approach to ballet. The illustrations also counter stereotypes and invite children from every background to enjoy dance. Michelle H. Martin

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from September 6, 2021
"Langston liked basketball, but he adored ballet." A Black boy recognizes his love of ballet after his mother takes him to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. When, post-performance, Langston asks whether he, too, could dance like that, his mother offers an encouraging response: "You can do whatever you set your mind to doing." Thus begins Langston's journey toward balletic excellence in this firmly uplifting narrative. Though a child on the way to Langston's first dance class attempts to bring the burgeoning dancer down with a gendered sneer, Langston perseveres, in spreads showcasing an engrossing flipbook-like progression of his moves. Langley utilizes plentiful dialogue and repetition to draw readers in: "And Langston danced... and danced... and danced," the final spreads read, showing the maturing protagonist continuing to dance over the years. Mallett's lively, realistic illustrations, characterized by airbrushed strokes and dynamic dancers of varying skin tones, help further bring the story to life. Notable is Langston's unwavering passion for balletâ€"and his mother's just as steadfast supportâ€"in this richly affirmative picture book. Ages 4â€"8.

From Kirkus

Starred review from August 1, 2021
What happens when a little boy who likes basketball learns that he loves ballet? Langston, a little Black boy, is enchanted by an Alvin Ailey Dance Company performance he sees with his mother. After the performance, Langston asks, "Do you think I can dance like that?" She lovingly responds, "You can do whatever you set your mind to doing." Langston envisions twirling and leaping, just like the dancers. However, Langston faces opposition when another boy sees him dancing and admonishes, "Boys don't dance like that." A bit jarred, he defends his passion and heads to his first dance class anyway. Langston is the only boy amid the pink-tutu-clad little girls. When his teacher, Ms. Marie, gives him a pair of black ballet shoes, he runs and leaps across the room in excitement. This is a tenderly told story about self-acceptance. The love and support that Langston receives from his mother serve to buoy his confidence, but it is his awareness of his passion that sustains him and pushes him to do what makes him happy: a lesson for every child. The illustrations are warm and dreamy. Langston, his mother, and the other children, depicted as racially diverse, look almost photorealistic. This book will pair equally well with Juli�n Is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love (2018), and I Am Every Good Thing, by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James (2020). (This book was reviewed digitally.) The absolute embodiment of Black boy joy, this is a beautiful and important book. (Picture book. 4-8)

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