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Adaptations
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Josephine Wants to Dance : The Musical
2018
single work
drama
'Josephine is a kangaroo – who loves to dance. Her little brother, Joey, tells her that kangaroos don’t dance, they hop – but Josephine continues to point her toes and leap through the air.
'When a ballet troupe comes to the sleepy town of Shaggy Gully Josephine learns that there is another way to dance – ballet. As the Ballet company prepared to perform, Josephine snuck into town and peered through the window as the dancers rehearsed. She watched the dancers for hours and hours, then she went home and practiced at night… all alone. She spun, she swirled and pirouetted dreams… and at the end she always curtsied. She desperately wanted to dance like the ballerinas in pink tutus and silk ballet shoes.
'On the day of the first performance the Ballet Company was in trouble. The prima ballerina twisted her ankle. The understudy had a splinter in her toe.
'Who could dance the lead role? Who else could leap that high?
'Josephine’s talents are called upon to help save the day. Can she do it, and more importantly, does it matter that she’s a kangaroo?'
Source: Monkey Baa.
Affiliation Notes
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This work is affiliated with the AustLit subset Asian-Australian Children's Literature and Publishing because it has a Korean translation.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Out of Sight : The Censoring of Family Diversity in Picture Books
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 57 2019; 'Family diversity has long been censored, silenced, and ignored in Australian picture books. Despite its long running representation in books for older readers, the concept of exploring family diversity at picture book level remains nothing short of radical. Of the little available, much comes in the form of issue-driven books and from specialist presses overseas, presenting a distinct gap in Australian children’s literature. The contentious history of diversity in children’s books creates added issues in the struggle for representation, and diverse stories (and diverse authors) face ongoing challenges. Furthermore, public outrage at the ‘shunning’ of nuclear families, as well as society’s distorted understanding of what constitutes diversity, present further complications in the advocating for family-diverse stories. This essay will examine what it means to be a family, the issues surrounding family diversity in picture books, and why such books deserve to be championed.'(Publication abstract)
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Untitled
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , February vol. 51 no. 1 2007; (p. 17)
— Review of Josephine Wants to Dance 2006 single work picture book -
Untitled
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , November vol. 21 no. 5 2006; (p. 27-28)
— Review of Josephine Wants to Dance 2006 single work picture book
-
Untitled
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , February vol. 51 no. 1 2007; (p. 17)
— Review of Josephine Wants to Dance 2006 single work picture book -
Untitled
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , November vol. 21 no. 5 2006; (p. 27-28)
— Review of Josephine Wants to Dance 2006 single work picture book -
Out of Sight : The Censoring of Family Diversity in Picture Books
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 57 2019; 'Family diversity has long been censored, silenced, and ignored in Australian picture books. Despite its long running representation in books for older readers, the concept of exploring family diversity at picture book level remains nothing short of radical. Of the little available, much comes in the form of issue-driven books and from specialist presses overseas, presenting a distinct gap in Australian children’s literature. The contentious history of diversity in children’s books creates added issues in the struggle for representation, and diverse stories (and diverse authors) face ongoing challenges. Furthermore, public outrage at the ‘shunning’ of nuclear families, as well as society’s distorted understanding of what constitutes diversity, present further complications in the advocating for family-diverse stories. This essay will examine what it means to be a family, the issues surrounding family diversity in picture books, and why such books deserve to be championed.'(Publication abstract)