“What are the best Children’s books about or featuring Dance?” We looked at 177 of the top Kids dance books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 29 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Children’s Dance” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 125+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.

Also see our article of The 18 Best Dance Books!

Happy Scrolling!

Top 29 Best Children’s Books About Dancing And Ballet

29 .) Angelina Ballerina written by Katharine Holabird

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• The Guardian

Angelina loves to dance and wants to become a ballerina more than anything else in the world.

28 .) Baby Dance written by Ann Taylor

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Goodreads

For babies who are responding to music and movement, here’s a playful poem that has father and child dancing lovingly across the pages.

27 .) Ballerino Nate written by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley

Lists It Appears On:

• My Son Can Dance
• Sugar Spice And Glitter

After seeing a ballet performance, Nate decides he wants to learn ballet but he has doubts when his brother Ben tells him that only girls can be ballerinas.

26 .) Brothers of the Knight written by Debbie Allen

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• My Son Can Dance

In this contemporary retelling of the fairy tale “Twelve Dancing Princesses,” an African-American reverend in Harlem endeavors to discover why the shoes of his twelve sons are worn to pieces every morning.

25 .) Chasing Degas written by Eva Montanari

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Sugar Spice And Glitter

At the time of the Impressionists, a young ballet dancer races around Paris searching for Monsieur Degas, who accidentally took her bag–and the tutu she needs for the recital in which she is to perform that night.

24 .) Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao’s Last Dancer written by Li Cunxin

Lists It Appears On:

• My Son Can Dance
• Pragmatic Mom

Selected by Chairman Mao’s officials from among millions of children to become a dancer, Li’s new life began as he left his family behind. At the Beijing Dance Academy, days were long and difficult. Li’s hard work was rewarded when he was chosen yet again, this time to travel to America.…

23 .) Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance written by Keith Graves

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• My Son Can Dance

Frank the monster indulges his love of dancing by strutting his stuff on stage until his head unzips, his brains flop out, and he continues to lose body parts.

22 .) Kitchen Dance written by Maurie J. Manning

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Goodreads

Two sleepy children sneak out of their beds to watch as their parents, who love each other very much, break into a dance while washing the dishes.

21 .) Miss Lina’s Ballerinas written by Grace Maccarone

Lists It Appears On:

• Read Brightly
• Sugar Spice And Glitter

Ballet instructor Miss Lina has a solution when her eight students, who always dance in pairs, are distraught when a ninth girl joins the class.

20 .) My Mama Had a Dancing Heart written by Libba Moore Gray

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Goodreads

A ballet dancer recalls how she and her mother would welcome each season with a dance outdoors.

19 .) Rap A Tap Tap written by Leo Dillon

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• My Son Can Dance

In illustrations and rhyme describes the dancing of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, one of the most famous tap dancers of all time.

18 .) Song and Dance Man written by Karen Ackerman

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• My Son Can Dance

Grandpa demonstrates for his visiting grandchildren some of the songs, dances, and jokes he performed when he was a vaudeville entertainer.

17 .) Suki’s Kimono written by Chieri Uegaki

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Pragmatic Mom

On her first day of first grade, despite the objections of her older sisters, Suki chooses to wear her beloved Japanese kimono to school because it holds special memories of her grandmother’s visit last summer.

16 .) The Jellybeans & the Big Dance written by Laura Numeroff

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Sugar Spice And Glitter

When four young girls meet in dance class, it takes time for them to find a way–and a reason–to pull together as one, but Emily helps them realize that, just like a bag of jellybeans, they can be different and still go well together.

15 .) This Is It written by Daria Peoples-Riley

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Goodreads

A young dancer finds confidence in herself in this picture book about dance, individuality, and self expression

14 .) Zombelina written by Kristyn Crow

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Goodreads

A young zombie gives a haunting performance in her first ballet dance recital.

13 .) Alvin Ailey written by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• My Son Can Dance
• Pragmatic Mom

Describes the life, dancing, and choreography of Alvin Ailey, who created his own modern dance company to explore the black experience.

12 .) Dancing in the Wings written by Debbie Allen

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Goodreads
• Sugar Spice And Glitter

Sassy tries out for a summer dance festival in Washington, D.C., despite the other girls’ taunts that she is much too tall.

11 .) Jingle Dancer written by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Goodreads
• Pragmatic Mom

Jenna, a member of the Muscogee, or Creek, Nation, borrows jingles from the dresses of several friends and relatives so that she can perform the jingle dance at the powwow. Includes a note about the jingle dance tradition and its regalia.

10 .) José! Born to Dance: The Story of José Limón written by Susanna Reich and Raul Colon

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes And Noble
• Goodreads
• My Son Can Dance

In 1908 a baby boy was born in Culiacan, Mexico, kicking like a roped steer. BAM! BAM! BAM! His name was Jose Limon. Though he and his family fled civil war in their homeland by escaping to the United States when Jose was just seven years old, he would never forget the sounds and movements of his birthplace. Then Jose followed his heart to New York City. He fell in love with the shimmering city that towered above him: marble, stone, brick, and steel. He wanted to give a gift to the world and discovered the world of dance. There was no stopping Jose Limon, who went on to become one of the greatest modern dancers who ever lived.

9 .) Max written by Rachel Isadora

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• My Son Can Dance
• Read Brightly

Max finds a new way to warm up for his Saturday baseball game–his sister’s dancing class.

8 .) Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova written by Laurel Snyder and Julie Morstad

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes And Noble
• Goodreads
• Sugar Spice And Glitter

The world is big. Anna is small. The snow is everywhere and all around. But one night …One night, her mother takes her to the ballet, and everything is changed. Anna finds a beauty inside herself that she cannot contain. So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous prima ballerina of all time, inspiring legions of dancers after her: the brave, the generous, the transcendently gifted Anna Pavlova. Beautiful, inspirational, and triumphant, Anna Pavlova’s life is masterfully captured in this exquisite picture book.…

7 .) The Nutcracker Comes to America: How Three Ballet-Loving Brothers Created a Holiday Tradition written by Chris Barton and Cathy Gendron

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Barnes And Noble
• Goodreads

Meet William, Harold, and Lew Christensen, three small-town Utah boys who caught the ballet bug in the early 1900s. They performed on vaudeville and took part in the New York City dance scene. Russian immigrants shared the story of The Nutcracker with them, and during World War II, they staged their own Christmastime production in San Francisco. It was America’s first full-length version and the beginning of a … holiday tradition

6 .) Ballet Shoes written by Noel Streatfeild and Diane Goode

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes And Noble
• Sugar Spice And Glitter
• The Guardian
• The School Run

Determined to make a name for themselves, three adopted sisters living in London train for the ballet and the stage and in the process discover that each has a special talent.

5 .) Brontorina written by James Howe

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Goodreads
• Read Brightly
• Sugar Spice And Glitter

Despite her size and not having the proper footwear, a determined dinosaur pursues her dream of becoming a ballerina.

4 .) To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel written by Siena Cherson Siegel

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes And Noble
• Goodreads
• Sugar Spice And Glitter
• Thought Co.

The author describes how she first decided she wanted to be a ballerina at the age of six, and how that dream carried her from her home in Puerto Rico to dance class in Boston to performing with the New York City Ballet

3 .) Flora and the Flamingo written by Molly Idle

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Barnes And Noble
• Goodreads
• Read Brightly
• Sugar Spice And Glitter

In this wordless book with interactive flaps, a friendship develops between a girl named Flora and a graceful flamingo, as they learn to dance together.

2 .) Tallulah’s Tutu written by Marilyn Singer

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Barnes And Noble
• Goodreads
• Read Brightly
• Sugar Spice And Glitter

Tallulah takes ballet lessons and eagerly awaits her coveted tutu, which, she learns, she must work hard to earn.

1 .) Firebird written by Misty Copeland and Christopher Myers

Lists It Appears On:

• A Mighty Girl
• Barnes And Noble
• Goodreads
• Pragmatic Mom
• Sugar Spice And Glitter
• Thought Co.

American Ballet Theater soloist Misty Copeland encourages a young ballet student, with brown skin like her own, by telling her that she, too, had to learn basic steps and how to be graceful when she was starting out, and that some day, with practice and dedication, the little girl will become a firebird, too.

The 125+ Additional Best Kids Dance Books

10 Best Children’s Books About Dance Sources/Lists