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LAST DANCE, THE
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Written by
Carmen Agra Deedy
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Illustrated by
Debrah Santini
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Hardcover: $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-56145-109-8
Total Pages: 32
Size: 7 x 12-1/2
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Picture books, ages 8-12/Fiction
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Carmen Agra Deedy was born in Havana, Cuba, and emigrated to Georgia with her family during the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. A professional storyteller, she has performed at the Disney Institute, on Broadway at the New Victory Theater, at the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Kennedy Center, as well as many other storytelling festivals nationwide. Deedy is a regular contributor to National Public Radio's "Weekend All Things Considered" and "Latino USA." Deedy lives in Georgia.You can visit Carmen Agra Deedy's website at: www.carmendeedy.com
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Debrah Santini has illustrated a number of children’s books. She holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is a faculty member of the art and is a faculty member of the art department at West Georgia College.
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Accelerated Reader & Reading Counts Tests:
Reading Counts Test #: Q20334
Reading Counts Level: 3.3
AR Quiz#: 43499
AR Reading Level: 3.9
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BESSIE AND NINNY are the best of friends. Sometimes on milk-moon nights, Ninny throws buttons at Bessie's window. When Bessie peeps outside, Ninny sings: "Bessie, oh Bessie! Come dance with me! For I hate to dance alone, Where the old men sleep, And the women weep, And the wild, fey children roam." Down the drainpipe Bessie slides to visit Ninny, and off they go.
Most nights, they visit the grave of Ninny's grandfather, Oppa. It was Oppa who taught them three things that they will never forget: To dance To sing, and To tell stories. Oppa's wisdom ultimately inspires a pact between the two young friends--a pact that binds them together through love and marriage, war and separation, birth and death.
In the simple but extraordinary story, award-winning author Carmen Agra Deedy speaks to each of us about the value of promises and the limitless power of love. Share The Last Dance with someone you love.
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Reviews
"This tale of love and memory, spun on illustrations as light and rich as gossamer, is a beautiful reminder that picture books are truly a form of art that speaks to the heart no matter one's age... The Last Dance is a book for anyone who wants to remember and to rejoice in the enduring powers of love." Children's Book Review " My young jury asked to have [The Last Dance] read to them again--and they got the point: 'Those we love are never really gone as long as their stories are told.' Debrah Santini's masterful sketches and watercolors tell as much as the text." Robert D. Hale, writing in The Horn Book Magazine "Deedy lovingly lulls readers into the intimacy of the reminiscence... Santini's watercolors, sometimes vague, mostly dreamy, enhance the feeling of events recalled through time.... Use this with older readers as a fine example of what family history can be. It's like a full cloth made from the remnants of people's lives, with all the humor, pathos, and drama that's necessary for a very effective, personal sort of storytelling."Booklist
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Awards
* 1999 CBC's Not Just For Children Anymore!
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