Tommy Can’t Stop

Tommy can’t stop moving. He bounces, he kicks, he clomps, and he hurdles, often breaking things in his wake. His family are at their wits’ end and don’t know what to do. They try wearing him out with tennis, soccer, golf, football, baseball, and swimming. Nothing works, until his sister suggests Tommy try tap dancing. Seeing his sister in a pink tutu, Tommy says this is not for him, but his mom drags him to a class. Tommy discovers tapping means bouncing (hopping), clomping (stomping), kicking (brushing), and doing hurdles (leaping), and he loves it! Tap dance speaks to Tommy and he quickly becomes a star on stage. He now beams and glows in positive attention. Tommy Can’t Stop! is a good story that explores how to focus a child’s talents and strengths into an activity where he or she can shine.

While the story captures the passion of a non-stop child, this reviewer felt a bit distracted in reading when a few of the phrases seemed forced and out of sync. Most of the illustrations were spot-on, but a couple missed the true essence of the text. Fortunately, a non-stop child will never notice these subtleties!