Dancing Boy

Dancing Boy by Ronald Himler

On the inside cover of this book, the author compares the Dancing Boy in the story to a "mini Pied Piper." The story is about a single naked little boy who comes along and "frees" other children from their boredom so they may get a sense of liberation. Every time the children run into more children, they all remove their clothes and dance through the streets, however the adults on the streets continue on as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened at all. It is as if the children have frozen time and they are the only individuals who are experiencing their freedom. I like this book for ADULTS, because it reminds us to remember the child inside of us all, however not for children to read. This is a great example that some children's books are seemingly intended for adults, in terms of their overall message and content, and not for children to understand. After the children say farewell to their friend who started it all, he continues down the road in the buff, and each child returns to where he found them, put back on all of their clothes, and life picks up again as if nothing odd has happened. The author really makes a point to show that no one else has noticed that the children are all taking off their clothes on the page where a little girl gets off a park bench and quickly removes her dress. The illustration is divided in three parts, and her grandmother continues to look to the left even when the little girl walks naked to the right. I think that there is definitely a moral to this story, that I think is intended mainly just for adults; to never forget the free spirit youth that has shaped us all.