This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite
What would you do if everyone laughed at something you wanted to learn? In Dazzling Legs, Ruth Thomas introduces readers to Sparkle, a tiny peacock spider with a big dream. He opens the School of Spin and tells all the insects in the garden that they can have free lessons. But instead of signing up, the others tease him. Meanwhile, a centipede named Multi is having a problem, too. He was invited to a dance party, but he doesn’t have the best coordination. As Multi struggles with his moves, some of the other bugs make fun of him. This makes him lose confidence. Then Sparkle and Multi meet. They talk and think they could work together. Will these two unlikely friends be able to achieve their goals?
As a former preschool teacher, I really enjoyed Dazzling Legs by Ruth Thomas. It uses a creative cast of creatures to explore confidence and perseverance. I thought the name of Sparkle’s school was clever, and it made me smile. I had never heard of a peacock spider before, and I looked them up when I was done reading. I’m sure kids will want to know more about them, too. So, as a teacher, I would assign them a research project about spiders. They’d want to count the legs of each bug in the story, too. I’d also have conversations with my students about bullying, resilience, kindness, and favorite insects. Russell A. Thomas's illustrations caught my eye. They’re bright and detailed. I think it’s important for children to see facial expressions of characters, and this book does a good job with that. Young readers who enjoy stories about insects, friendship, and self-belief will want to read this one. The message that stayed with me was simple: "Keep trying, even when it's hard,” and it made me think of the old saying: "If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again."
