When I was a young girl, I took ballet, tap and batton classes. I remember the pressure I felt to get my steps down perfectly and how embarrassed I was when I flubbed. 

I wanted to write a story about a girl practicing for the dance recital who messes up a step. But instead of feeling paralyzed by her mistake, she embraces her stage persona and finishes with pride.

In order to capture more details of practice and getting ready for the recital, I interviewed my neighbors, Reina and Karli, who were practicing for The Nutcracker. I found out that Karli was also the kid who turned left when everyone turned right so I had my ut-oh moment for the story! I also interviewed their dance teacher, Amy Hughes, to find out about costumes and such. (This book is dedicated to all three of them.)

Together with illustrator Amy Wumer, we created an exuberant story about dance with a good message.

The Nutcracker season is soon upon us so go out and enjoy the show and applaud the kids' hard work!

If you know of a little dancer who might love this book, order one through your local independent bookstore or here on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Thank you always for your support.

Photo: Reina and Karli, my dance experts.