Brothers of the Knight (Picture Puffin Books)

Reverend Knight can’t figure out why every morning his twelve son’s sneakers are torn up. He does not know that every night when he goes to bed his sons seek out and dance all night long. The mystery isn’t solved until the new nanny, Sunday, shows up.

This is a great read aloud book. The

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talking dog, Happy, tells the story. I believe that this helps hold a lot of the children’s attention as you are reading.

In the classroom I would like to play some music and have our own little ballroom dance. I would also like for the students to rewrite a ending for the story.

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This was a twist to Brothers Grimm "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." These brother keep getting rid of all their nannies, because everything night magically all their shoes are worn out. Until one nanny comes and find out their secret.

Debbie Allen, a well-known film producer, actress and choreographer, transforms The Twelve Dancing Princesses - the beloved German fairytale from the Brothers Grimm - into a tale of African-American family life in Brothers of the Knight.

Reverend Knight, a reserved pastor living with his twelve son

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in Harlem, is determined to find out why their shoes are worn to bits every morning, but it is only after the arrival of his new housekeeper, Sunday, that the mystery begins to unravel. The Twelve Dancing Princesses is currently one of my favorite fairy-tales, so I was delighted to discover this contemporary adaptation, which emphasizes the need for open communication between parents and children. Kadir Nelson's exuberant illustrations are a good match for the energy of Allen's characters.

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The library where I work classifies this glorious picture book as being for school children, rather than really young children. It's a very nice adult book, too. I read a book about the intellectual decline of America – the author complained about how awful Young Adult books are – she was

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reading classics at that age. I still read almost everything from picture books on up, and I think she's missing out!

Deborah Allen has updated the Grimm story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses to a lively tale in contemporary Harlem, and has it narrated by the family dog. I don't think these twelve brothers have to be enchanted to go dancing! Like the princesses, their shoes are worn out every night, and their father, Reverend Knight, wants to know why! After hiring a succession of housekeepers and either firing them or having them quit, it puts a desperate advertisement in Jet magazine, and a somewhat mysterious woman named Sunday shows up, puts the boys to work, provides wonderful meals, and figures out their secret, but then the story takes a very different turn.

It is perfectly illustrated with pictures by Kadir Nelson that are as lively as the story. Like the text, they are a vivid commentary on the wonders of dance. The picture of the twelve boys dancing on the roof at night that's on the cover is incredible.

This was also made into a stage play that I would like to see – what an opportunity for great dancing that would be.

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