Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln

Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln

Margarita Engle has written several books about historical Latinx figures. In Dancing Hands, she introduces young readers to Teresa Carreño, a Venezuelan piano prodigy who gained fame for her compositions and performed throughout the world. Her family sought refuge from war in Venezuela, arriving in the United States in 1862. Soon after, as Dancing Hands’ subtitle indicates, she was invited to play piano for President Abraham Lincoln. Engle’s choice to highlight this particular episode of Carreño’s life provides young Latinx readers a chance to see their ethnic identity reflected within a period of American history where the presence of Latinx individuals often goes unacknowledged, especially in popular media. Rafael López’s enchanting illustrations elevate this already incredible tale, earning Dancing Hands a Belpré Award for Illustration.
-SF