ISBN: 9781925335231

Dance with Me

A ballerina in a music box loves nothing more than to dance. Her days are filled with joy as she dances for her little girl owner, and also pops out of her box for some extra fun and excitement when the little girl isn’t looking! But when her owner grows up and isn’t a little girl anymore, who will dance with the ballerina then? Dance with Me is a gorgeous story about treasured possessions and the memories they hold.

SPECIFICATIONS: Hardcover | 245 x 255 mm / 9½ x 10 Inches | Colour | 32 Pages |  

SKU: 9781925335231 Categories: , ,

Penny Harrison is a lifestyle journalist, garden writer, book reviewer and children’s author. She has contributed to various Australian magazines, newspapers, guides and books, writing about everything from raising toddlers to raising chickens. Penny lives in a rambling old garden on the edge of the Yarra Valley with her husband and two young children, where she loves filling the house with books and music.

Gwynneth Jones drew all through her maths book at school, so left to study art at TAFE and then majored in Plant and Wildlife Illustration at the University of Newcastle. Since then, Gwynneth has been imagining and drawing madly, exhibiting and holding market stalls, and creating picture books.

Queensland Times, June 2017
“Dance with Me is a gorgeous story about treasured possessions and the memories they hold.” – Click here to view.


Meet the Illustrator – Kids’ Book Review
Kids’ Book Review continue their insightful blog series, this time with Sugar and Spice’s very own Gwynneth Jones! You can learn all about Gwynneth’s creative process, favourite mediums, inspirations and much more here.


The Sugar and Spice Launch Day

Many thanks to Luke Arms, for capturing some great moments throughout the day!
Visit Luke’s website here.

Author Anouska Jones reading Patch and Ruby  Pastel Treats and Sweets!

Team Sugar and Spice  Activity Time!

Kids Book Buzz
“I liked the illustrations and how, as she explores the bedroom, the animals she saw were not real animals, just toys or a backpack, but when she talks to them, they are real … I would recommend this book to little kids who love ballerinas or like to do ballet.”


Educating Young Children
“A delightful book … with beautiful illustrations and lots of opportunities for discussions” – Click here to view.


School Library Journal
“Jones’s illustrations, which feature soft lines and vibrant colors, successfully convey the graceful movements of the ballerina. Most striking is when the toy animals morph into their real-life counterparts, resulting in life-like, detailed depictions.”


Peninsula Kids
Reviewed for their Christmas special ‘things we love” – Click here to view.


School’s Out
“This book is about a ballerina who wants to make new friends, because a big girls does not want to play with her… I like her dress because it is purple/ I like twirling and whirling”


Foreword Reviews
“Lovely and nostalgic, the ballerina’s story continues even after the lid on the box is closed.” 


Reading Time
“I think many little girls will be excited by the idea of the ballerina in the music box coming to life. When she is abandoned by her owner, she dances out of her box and goes looking for someone to dance with”


The Picturebook Shelf
“The gentle narrative, enchanting whimsical illustrations of golden lines of music, leaping tiny ballerinas in search of running deer for partners, contrasting with softly blurred pine trees, all combine to create a warm, rich, inviting fantasy that transcends years and promises eternal youth.”


NC Teacher Stuff
“I know that giving human traits to nonhuman objects can produce powerful emotions … Dance with Me pulls on those same heartstrings.”


The Bottom Shelf
“A great opportunity to talk about memories with our children as well as what they love enough to want to keep for their children, creating bonds across generations.” 


Kids’ Book Review
Dance With Me: a gentle, heartfelt tale of childhood treasures, the sadness of their loss and the joy of history repeating itself.”


Parents in Touch
“A heartwarming story about treasured possessions and the memories they hold”


 The Mummy Project
“I loved reading this book with my daughter and discussing childhood keepsakes and what she would pass on to her children …”


Aussie Reviews
Dance with Me is a delightful, slightly sad, story of growing up, and the toys that are left behind. Happily, in this story, the dancer survives until the next generation of owner falls in love with her. The illustrations, by Gwynneth Jones, use watercolour and outlines with soft pastel colours for the ballerina and her world, and bolder colours when she ventures out into the world looking for a dance partner. Likely to appeal to young dancers, especially those with a fondness for music boxes..”


Boomerang Books Blog
“I can’t help but hear Frank Mill’s, Music Box Dancer in my head when I read about the beautiful pink clad ballerina who ‘lived in a small, wooden box.”


Huntingdon School Class 2-4
“They enjoyed the story and liked how the pictures went from cartoon to real life. And all loved the fact she never left the room.”


Huntingdon School Class k-2 
“They loved the story and were happy that the ballerina got to dance again. They thought the pictures were great and loved the, bee and leopard. Some of the girls loved it because they have the same box.”

School Days
“A sweet story with fun, sadness and happiness once again”

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