PictureBook Review: Amandina

Amandina is a little dog with golden eyes.  She is shy and has no friends.  She is also very talented at many things.  She decides to make friends by putting on a performance.  What follows is lovely tale and a perfect introduction to simple theatrical vocabulary.

One of my favorite parts is towards the end.  Amandina does everything she is supposed to do to put on a good show, but no one arrives.

Sometimes these things happen and nobody knows why.

is the apt and simple explanation.  So what does the little dog do? She doesn’t cry, she doesn’t give up, she doesn’t re-plan, she performs anyways.  And when she performs, the audience arrives on their own.  The very act of telling her story is what made her audience appear in wonder.

This is a really great book for introducing theatre concepts to your preschoolers.