As a whole, I really like this story. The end and the illustrations make it worth it. However at times it seems to drag, and like she has an over worried mother. Because he daughter can not concentrate she takes her to the doctor, and then a shrink. It makes a kid feel bad about themselves. Everything works out in the end, but to me that section drags the story down.

This is an interesting little book. I wanted to read it because the cover definitely gives off the idea that the book will be about body image. However, it is more focused on Diana's difficulty focusing on math and how a physical outlet impacts that struggle positively.

The art style is very cool, but this has some weird stuff in the writing. For one thing, I need another picture book about a GIRL who doesn't like math like a need a hole in my head. For another, this kind of makes psychiatry look really really bad and gives a VERY wrong idea to kids about why their parent would bring them to a psychologist. Telling children that psychiatrists are only there because there's something wrong with them is such a very very toxic thing, as is giving kids the impression that physical activity is the answer, or at least the ONLY answer. One the opposite end, a picture book about a girl displaying what seem to be symptoms of ADHD is a pretty good thing (as these indicators are so often missed in girls). I just wish it wasn't weirdly demonizing of parental concern and psychiatry.

This book has a special place in my heart. Being a retired teacher as well as a grandparent, I certainly want to promote individuality, positive self-esteem, various learning styles and developing ways to motivate and stimulate today's children. When Diana is having difficulty concentrating and getting motivated in school, her mother is worried. She takes her to the family doctor and in turn he sends her to a Psychologist. It is only when they realize that Diana needs to move, has natural rhythm and is able to concentrate when she is allowed to move, that she becomes successful. This is a cute little book. Empowering kids to overcome their difficulties in school by exploring some non-traditional activities is a nice thing to see in a picture book and hopefully in real life. The illustrations, are wonderful. They look like pencil drawings and are very sweet. I loved looking for her dog in any of the pictures of her at home or outside playing. He is so cute. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. This would be a great book to read with kids who might be struggling with paying attention, and it might give parents some ideas on new ways to help deal with the problem. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions are my own.

I received this digital ARC picture book from Netgalley to review.

It’s a sweet and simple story about a girl who has difficulty in class and discovers her passion in an unlikely way. The message is great. Most often children that struggle in school need to find an outlet and movement is one that can get stifled in some classrooms.

However, the story line that leads her to discover her passion is odd and I would have a certain level of discomfort sharing with young children.

4+ stars
A charming story of a little girl that isn’t understood. Mother, with the help of a psychologist, finally realizes that the little girl that can’t sit still really just wants to dance. Everything comes together for the little girl with the addition of dance lessons to her life. She starts doing better in school and finally gets past her multiplication tables.
The illustrations were well done. I especially liked the style used to portray the older dancers. Beautifully done! I do worry, a little bit, about the message this might send younger readers. But as an adult I can appreciate the overall impression that the illustrator is trying to convey.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Annick Press Ltd., for the opportunity to read this ARC.

When you look at the cover of this book, it looks like a story about a little girl who loves to dance, even if she doesn't have the stereotypical ballerina look. It turns out, however, that this is a story of a girl with some form of Attention Deficit Disorder. She discovers that she loves to dance (how did she not already know that?) and it turns out that when she practices kinesthetic learning she does much better. An interesting look at various learning styles, but you would never know it from the cover.

I struggled with this book for because first of all, any kid that likes to dance is always moving. How is it that she never tried dance before? Secondly, this book seems aimed at parents instead of children - it is letting parents know that perhaps their child shouldn't sit still all day and might learn better when moving.

This book might have been based on a true story, as I'm pretty sure I've heard something quite similar of a dancer. I like the diversity present in the illustrations (gorgeous, by the way!).

This is a cute little book. At first, I was a little bit worried when Diana's mother dragged her to the doctor because she got bad grades and couldn't concentrate; I was afraid that she was going to end up on Ritalin or something. But the prescription was actually far more simple: movement! Instead of drugs, Diana enrolls in a dance class, which she loves. And, to her surprise, the movement helps engage her brain, allowing her to grasp the math concepts she was having trouble with before. (It reminded me a little of a cute scene from 1936's Captain January, in which Shirley Temple's character is practicing her multiplication tables while tap-dancing down the lighthouse steps. Whatever works, right?) Empowering kids to overcome their difficulties in school by exploring some non-traditional activities is a nice thing to see in a picture book.

The illustrations, which look like a mixture of drawing and collage, are sweet. I especially like Diana's little dog. The whole thing has sort of a European feel to me (which I guess isn't surprising, given that the author is based in Spain).

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. This would be a great book to read with kids who might be struggling with paying attention, and it might give parents some ideas on new ways to help deal with the problem.

Very cute, sometimes kids just have to move. Loved the illustrations too! ......................................

Cute story about a girl who finds her passion, which makes everything in life better. Characters in the story embrace Diana’s differences in a solution-oriented way.

"Diana did not like to study. But above all, she did not like math." "Diana was bored at school, and never got good grades."

She loves her skateboard and being outdoors but her mother is worried about her academics. One Monday afternoon Diana's mother receives the bad news from school that Diana will fail if she does not learn her multiplication tables. It is time for a Mother intervention to help out her struggling daughter. She immediately hires a tutor but quickly discovers it doesn't make much difference in Diana's retention skills which causes Mother to take more drastic steps in finding out why Diana is having problems at school. Mother then seeks out the advice of a medical doctor who diagnoses Diana as completely healthy but suggests that perhaps Diana should see a psychologist.

These findings leave Diana feeling sad and confused about herself. What could possibly be wrong with her? To her great relief the psychologist unleashes her inner dilemmas and together they discover that Diana is a dancer by nature. This eureka moment totally changes Diana's life for the better. Thereafter she expresses herself in lovely beautiful dance movements which enables her to take an interest in her school subjects (even math) and celebrate life with a joyous attitude and happy dancing feet.

Lorenzo's book was originally published in Spain. He touches on themes of self-worth, body image and the freedom to dream. The illustrations are very noteworthy and enrich the text greatly. I particularly love Diana, the main character, who dreams the impossible dream of becoming a ballerina ... but is it really impossible in her reality? She embraces her reality and in so doing discovers a zest and love for life that she never experienced before. I adore this book and highly recommend it. Dance on Diana..........

Diana struggles in school, but finds that she has a love of dance. From the cover, I thought this was going to be about body positivity, but it does not mention that in any way.

I liked that this book showed a child meeting with a psychologist, as I think that is an intimidating experience for children and they often (at least my students have told me) then feel like something is 'wrong' with them. Parents and teachers have given them the message that something isn't working sometimes, and that is an overwhelming (and sometimes crushing) feeling! Having psychologist meetings normalized would continue to be helpful in the entire gamut of children's lit.

Diana realizes she loves to dance in her meeting with a psychologist after going to a doctor. The psychologist puts on some music and Diana dances her little heart out.

The story is pretty simple, the writing is just ok, and besides Diana loving dance and disliking school you don't get much to know the characters well. That being said, I could see students connecting with this one, and the depiction of going to see a psychologist and finding something that works for them being powerful enough for now.

This book was ok for myself and my 4 year old. While the story is completely 100% like my child (even down to the doing better at problems while moving part) and relays a good message in the end, I personally did not like that her mother was so quick to take her to doctors- especially a psychiatrist. While in real life this does happen to many kids, I think it was better off avoided in a young children's book. Maybe that subject would be more suited to older children. I also was not a fan of the artwork, especially when it came to the dancers. My biggest problem with the art was making the Diana character stand out in sharp contrast to everyone else. Yes, it is ok that she is different but I feel that making her so starkly different (especially with the dancers) could be damaging to kids who are slightly fluffy and different looking, it puts a label on them and they may think if they see it in print then it must be true. My 4 year old did not care for the story at all, perhaps older children will. It's a good attempt by the author but I feel it needs some work.

Diana is having a hard time a school until it is discovered that there is nothing wrong with her.

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-4770" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-27-at-12.46.51-PM-719x1024.png" alt="Diane Dances" />

Diane is a dancer, and needs to move about, and so she in enrolled in a dance class that makers her life so much easier. Easier because she has an outlet for her energy, and she finds like-minded souls.

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-4771" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-27-at-12.46.37-PM-729x1024.png" alt="Diana Dances" />

It is a cute book. And it shows that it doesn't matter that Diane is not tall and thin, she still ejoys dancing and int he future will dance, or not dance as she decides what she wants to do.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Diana Dances allows children who don’t always fit in, see themselves in the books they read. Diana doesn’t do well in school and feels badly about it. After many doctors visits, one discovers she is musically inclined and loves to dance. She finds dance and dance saves her. It is the power of one person recognizing something different and seeing it as a positive.
Phenomenal book and purpose.

The story...Diana does not like school! She especially hates the multiplication tables. Diana's mother tries to help. she gets a tutor. The tutor is not successful. The medical doctor finds nothing wrong and suggests a psychologist. While there, Diana accidentally discovers that she loves to dance and move. From there, school gets better.

This book may well appeal to young students who feel "out of sync" at school. The illustrations are amazing; whimsical, appealing, funny and fun. My quibbles: It is stereotypical to have a girl who struggles with Math. Also, everything improves very quickly. This is not generally the case in real life. Those points aside, this is a cute title.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. The opinion are my ow.

Thanks to Net Galley and Annick Press for making an advance copy of this title available for a fair and unbiased review.

Finally, a picture book that champions kinesthetic learners! Children are sure to cheer for fidgety Diana and her new found skills.

I love this story! I think adults should read it, and read it to their kids! Diana is sad and depressed. She's failing her classes and can't concentrate on her studies. Her problem? No joy! Her parents run her around to doctors, only to discover she's a dancer! She loves dancing! Enrolled in classes, her life changes for the better. She's happy! The illustrations was wonderful and kids will be able to relatet to them easily. Great story!

Diana Dances is too cute!
Diana is struggling in school. She can’t seem to concentrate long enough to learn her multiplication tables. After trying a tutor and visiting the Dr, a psychologist discovers that what Diana needs is to dance! This is what makes her truly happy and gives her the outlet she needed. After discovering music and dance, her school work seems to come easier to her and she is able to pass her math test! This girl just needed to dance!
I really enjoyed this story, We all need to discover THAT one thing that makes us truly happy. It makes everything else worth doing!
Thank you to Annick Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy. my opinions are my own.
This will appear on my blog December 7, 2018.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com

I'm conflicted by this book. When Diane has trouble at school her mom takes her to the doctor and then to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist decides that all Diane needs is to Dance. She joins a dance school and passes her test. Yes, the addition of dancing helps Diane, but we don't see her studying, she just starts doing well. I'm not sure that there is a good message for kids here.