Born to Dance

Katherine Reynolds

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RRP: £7.95

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Why I wrote this book

I didn’t, initially, set out to write a children’s book. My two main characters, who happen to be a tap-dancing horse and a worldly-wise cat, demanded that I set their story down. The result has been described – by others more versed in publishing than I am – as a ‘family classic’ meaning that its appeal spans the generations from children to grandparents.

I was driven to explore how my two main characters overcame the limitations of their circumstances and achieved their dreams. Once embarked on a tale in which the two main characters are animals, it comes naturally that their adventures will involve other animals. As far as the humans in the story are concerned – Ringmaster Chia, Madame Lulu Bombazine, Lord Stomper – they all share one particular characteristic: they are deeply empathetic to their animal cousins as I have been since I was a child.

My favourite thing about these two stories is Dylan and Red Tabby’s deep friendship – that bond which neither time nor distance can break. The response to the first story was so enthusiastic that a sequel simply became an imperative.

Synopsis

Dylan de Polka, a handsome chestnut dray-horse, pulls a milk cart for his keep, but all the while his head is full of tap-dancing day dreams. A catchy tune is all it takes to set his hooves tapping and to set the stage for disaster. When Dylan’s on-the-job dreaming leads to him being sold, he falls into the clutches of Dangerous Dennis, a ruthless horse dealer. Red Tabby, a worldly wise ginger cat, risks all nine lives to rescue her talented friend from a terrible fate.

With the horse dealer and his sidekick, Clumsy Golightly, hot on their trail, the two friends are forced to leave their familiar world far behind and seek a new life. When they stumble upon the Happy Days Circus, it seems the perfect refuge. But all is far from happy with the circus animals who, that very day, have woken to find themselves abandoned. Now, to save themselves Dylan and Red Tabby must somehow save the circus.

Dylan and Red Tabby are joined in their adventure by a colourful cast of characters: Irma the Elephant, Ranga Orang-utan, the Meerkat Clowns, Marmaduke Monkey, Ringmaster Chia, Madame Lulu Bombazine, Lord Stomper, and many more.

Credits:
2009 First Prize Winner Children’s Fiction San Francisco Book Festival
2008 First Prize for Children’s Fiction, the David St. John Thomas Charitable Trust.
2008 Honourable Mention in Children’s Fiction Category, Hollywood Book Festival
2008 & London Book Festival 2008.

Reviews

School Librarian Journal: Vol. 56, No.3, Autumn 2008, Pages 166-167
This is a charming and enthralling story which holds the reader’s interest with ease. A colourful cast of characters; a circus run by animals; an eccentric land-owning rock star; and a charismatic impresario all band together to help Dylan and his friend Red Tabby. A very happy ending leaves any young animal lover completely satisfied.

Cherie Gladstone (reviewer)
‘Born to Dance’ brings a welcome burst of sunshine to the world of children’s fiction.

Raring2go
The last time I read anything like this was some twenty-years-plus ago, so at first I struggled with talking animals as my practical side kept telling me that this just wasn’t normal. How wrong was I! If you need to escape the pressures that life seems to place on us all, then BORN TO DANCE is a “must read”. Forget the usual girlie romances, this story allows you to recapture the imagination that we so easily lose and allows you 100 percent escapism.
The Editor: Raring2go

London Book Festival (critique)
Born to Dance is a delightful and well-structured children's adventure that captures the magic of the circus and the thrill of being out on your own in the world. Katherine Reynolds' strong voice and skilled plotting was honed in years of professional endeavours in television, film and journalism. Unlike many writers, her work does not bog down in the third act, and the ingenious twists offered in her tale never pander to its intended young readership.

David St. John Thomas Charitable Trust (critique)
Black Beauty brought into the present as the tap-dancing horse, Dylan de Polka runs away to join the circus accompanied by Red Tabby. The adventures of the unlikely pair will prove to be irresistible to young and not so young readers. The search for Dylan’s mother involves many of the animals whose names alone will delight. Prepare to meet Ranga Orang-utan, Irma the Elephant, the Meerkat Clowns, plus Ringmaster Chia, Madame Lulu Bombazine, Lord Stomper and the two ‘baddies Dangerous Dennis and Clumsy Golightly.

NagMag
Want to keep the children enthralled with a magical tale of a horse and its friends, then look no further. A tap-dancing dray horse, Dylan de Polka, and his close companion, Red Tabby, steal the scene with their fight for freedom. I honestly loved this book and believe that any 8– 12-year-old or grandparent will not be able to put this award winning book down.
Linda Warburton, Editor

Brownies Online Book Club
If you like reading stories about animals, then you'll love Born to Dance, a story about a tap- dancing horse called Dylan de Polka and his many friends. Dylan runs away with the hope of joining the circus along with his close friend Red Tabby. They have lots of adventures and meet lots of new friends along the way. If you love reading books about horses, then Born to Dance is a must read.
Hannah, Brownie Book Club Editor

About the Author

Katherine Reynolds attributes her love of story telling to an old wooden cupboard which stood, when she was small, in a corner of her bedroom. Its shelves and drawers held her private treasures. Its doors, adorned with an ever-changing array of postcards and pictures, opened onto the many worlds of her imagination.

Although the written word was her first love, she found she had a natural aptitude for film making, founding in 1962 Dateline Productions in Soho’s busy film district. In 1970, she accepted an invitation to edit a Canadian feature film, - ‘The Rainbow Boys’ starring Donald Pleasance – the assignment signalled a new chapter in her life.

Katherine became a Canadian citizen in 1979. Soon after, she was appointed Contributing Editor for Britannia Magazine, a monthly publication aimed at British ex-patriots. In 1982 she married Canadian actor, Michael J. Reynolds.

In 1988 she founded ‘The Street’, a monthly newsletter for Canada’s many ‘Coronation Street’ fans.

After 30 years in Toronto, she and Michael upped stakes, moving to England. Katherine now makes her home in the Somerset heritage village of Milverton where she has returned to her love of story- telling. The old wooden cupboard has come into its own at last.

Why do you feel people should read your books?

Katherine responds: I think it was best expressed in an article in Parent Talk here in the UK. The article said my books bring a “welcome burst of sunshine to the world of children’s fiction”. So much of what is written for children seems to try to be cool and sassy – almost as if the authors fear not being accepted by their readers. In my books, I have tried to create a form of pure, timeless story-telling in the enduring tradition of the great classics. An author friend said this of BORN TO DANCE ‘I love the relationship between the horse and the cat. The message of being true to oneself and one's gifts is one that all children need to believe in. We are indeed all born to dance in some form or another.’ For children to be exposed to and to be able to absorb that message in an entertaining form early in life seems to me to be a gift very worth the giving.

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