The Twirly Wiggly Dance by Farrah Riaz & Navya Raju

However, no matter how hard she twirls and wiggles, she just can’t master one of the moves. And she starts to worry about it. She worries about embarrassing herself. She worries about disappointing her family. She worries about letting Auntie Mahira down.

But as we all know a problem shared is a problem halved, and when Intisar confides in her mum, she finds the cuddles and support that she needs. And while watching from the sidelines of the dance floor, she realises that no one in her family is dancing the same way. 

There’s a whole dance floor of movers and groovers, each dancing to their own beat. And Intisar finds the confidence to step up, and boogie! 

This book is such a joyful celebration that will empower young kids to express themselves, find their own rhythm and celebrate their individuality. 

Intisar is such a relatable character, she’s set expectations for herself (the pressure to get the dance correct is self-imposed) and is worried she will let others down. I think, certainly as an adult people-pleaser, this is something that lots of people, not just kids, will relate to. It’s often the expectations we set  for ourselves that provide the most pressure and anxiety. But when we look around at others, we realise that no one is looking at us!

The illustrations throughout are vibrant, and packed full of colour and movement. I love the energy that they bring to the story - it certainly matches the energy of Intisar’s relatives’ dance moves.

And it’s perfect for school settings as part of RE projects on celebrations and weddings!

A joyful, supportive and informative book!

If that's give you the desire to twirly wiggly dance yourself, check out the playlist put together by the publisher to go with the book! Listen here.

Happy reading,

Kim and the bairns x

Disclaimer: this Ad was paid for by Oxford Childrens.