A NEW YORK TIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED Book
Dumpy La Rue wanted to dance
“Pigs don’t dance,”
said his mother.
“They bellow, they swallow,
they learn how to wallow.
But Dumpy La Rue
was a pig
who knew what he wanted to do.
He twirled in the sty,
raised his snout to the sky,
spread his hooves far and wide,
and pretended to fly.
The whole barnyard gathers around and in no time, hooves are stomping, wings are flapping, and feet are stamping out a beat. This romping, rhyming story combined with Betsy Lewin’s exuberant illustrations will have you dancing a jig with this passionate pig!
Illustrated by Betsy Lewin
Henry Holt, 2001
Buy the paperback now: |
 |
 |
Listen to Elizabeth read DUMPY LA RUE to a young audience
Dumpy the pig ignores all naysayers and gets the whole barnyard dancing…a breezy toe-tapper from a pair of picture-book veterans.”
-Kirkus Reviews
“There’s plenty of bounce here in the lively text and the exuberant line and watercolor pictures, some of which fairly leap off the pages…”
-Booklist
“A barrel-shaped Baryshnikov soars over his assigned role in life in this breezy toe-tapper from a pair of picture-book veterans. To Winthrop’s narrative filled with rhymes but irregular enough to have a jazzy, improvisational feel, Lewin matches splotchy, brush-lined farmyard scenes featuring a stylishly posed piglet joined by sashaying chorus lines of rats, chickens, cattle and other livestock.”
-Kirkus Reviews
“There is nothing more adorable than a dancing pig. Dumpy La Rue is a star!”
-Jacques d’Amboise Founder of National Dance Institute and former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet
“The musical quality of the text makes it a perfect read-aloud. through Dumpy’s warmth and enthusiasm, children will meet a youngster who marches to the beat of his own drummer, and who encourages others to do so as well.”
-School Library Journal Starred Review
“Winthrop’s high-spirited text stands up well to Lewin’s strong artwork. There’s plenty of bounce here in the lively text and the exuberant line and watercolor pictures, some of which fairly leap off the pages…” -Booklist
Ms. Winthrop,
I am Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of a global hotel management company. I am reaching out to share a unique impact the message in your book Dumpy La Rue had at our Global Leadership Conference this week.
My children read me your book over the phone two nights ago (it is our favorite book) and it hit me how on point your book was for our Conference theme: The Power of One. I was a principle speaker to our 1100 global attendees yesterday and I referenced your book in my presentation: how a single inspired individual (Dumpy) can change the entire landscape of an organization (the farm). Though the mention was brief, many attendees came to me afterwards to make sure they had the name of the book right and a number of them told me they went on Amazon immediately to buy it. Hopefully this leads to a bump in sales for you.
I am a big fan of Dumpy La Rue. If you are interested, I would be pleased to speak with you about the powerful and current leadership message I see in your book.
All the best,
Chris Bennett