Get Up and Groove! Inspiration for All the Wonderful Ways to Move by Laura Baker

Posted in Author/Illustrator Posts on Fri, 16 May at 4.46 pm

We live in our bodies all day, every day. But do we often stop to appreciate what they can do?

When Little Tiger said they were looking for a text that encouraged children to get up off their bums and move their bodies, I jumped (pardon the pun!) at the chance to give it a go. They wanted a high-energy text with a bouncy, catchy, stick-in-your-head rhythm. The first verse popped into my head immediately:

Jump up off your bottom,

and get in the groove.

Wiggle your body, let’s…

see how you MOVE!

And the rest just followed! I had so much fun coming up with actions and building to a little dance – we stomp, clap, jump, reach, hop, stretch and of course freestyle too. Because this book isn’t about prescribing movement – it’s about finding the joy in it and celebrating your own moves, no matter your style or body type.

The NHS recommends that preschoolers spend at least three hours a day doing some sort of physical activity, and that it should be varied. This could be anything from sports to riding a bike, scooting to the park, dancing or messy play. The important thing is that children are moving, and not stuck on a screen or sitting inactive for too long. As children grow, maintaining an active lifestyle provides all sorts of benefits, such as strengthening muscles and bones, increasing heart health and improving mental health too.

To get into a good habit of daily physical activity, we should make it fun, so children will want to move and groove. This book aims to do just that. We hope to see children and adults doing the actions together at home, or groups of children dancing the dance together at school!

When I first wrote the text, I heard that the editor presented it to the sales team by performing all the moves himself. Then, when my youngest son saw an advance copy, he read it aloud and did all the actions without prompting too. This is exactly what we want – and it means we’ve done something right!

Of course a huge part of this is down to the incredible illustrations by Sandra de la Prada. Sandra and I were first paired on All the Wonderful Ways to Read, which celebrates all types of books and reading. I was so excited when this new book joined that series and Sandra brought back some of our favourite characters from the first book. She also introduced some new animals, and each one has its own special style. It is so easy for children to follow along, and in fact Sandra makes it hard to resist joining in with this enthusiastic cast!

We hope that you find joy in the book and get up and move your body too. We can’t wait to see your ‘you’ dance!

All the Wonderful Ways to Move is out now!

Watch below to see  Sandra De La Prada illustrating a spread from All the Wonderful Ways to Move.

Praise for All the Wonderful Ways to Move:

“The perfect book for getting up, getting moving and getting those wiggles out with your little ones!” – Lucy Rowland, author of Witch Cat and This Letter Says I Love You

“A delightful, lovely, bouncy, joy-filled fun and funny book that’s sure to get your little ones dancing, jumping and tapping their toes!” – Ian Eagleton, author of ‘Glitter Boy’

“Carefully and imaginatively written by Laura Baker and illustrated with warmth and wit by Sandra de la Prada, this playful book will inspire your children to find their own wonderful way of moving” – Lancashire Post