The Following review was contributed by: Molly Martin 

Illustrating the phases of a daughter's growth from infancy to adulthood, each stage is presented by a dance: Waltz, Jitterbug, Tango, Samba, and Freestyle. Waltz (Infancy): offers Heirloom in which an ‘all thumbs’ mom laments that the family sewing talent evident in a handmade dress has skipped a generation. Passing the Torch is a poignant peek into a mother’s memory of her childhood and wonder at the memories she may be creating for her own daughter. Jitterbug(Toddler days and terrible twos): presents a delightful view of the child expectant parents dream of and the child they hold dear in the heartfelt Her Father’s (and Mother’s) Daughter.

Mother Magic is sure to bring a smile to the lips of every mom as they consider their own little princess awakening, a tad less than queenly, from her nap. Tango (the teeny bopper years): Budding Beauty, Loaded Question and Crush explore hopes and dreams and fears and questions that daughters fear to ask and Mom fears to hear. Am I pretty, will he like me, oh no, Mom caught me trying on her bra and her lipstick and …. Samba (the house has a teenager): Mom’s Top Ten Tickets to Trouble … the poet must know my mom and those rules for living she had in mind. Domesticity Specificity … the poet must know my child and our divergence over the little phrase ‘clean your room.’ Freestyle (that time of mixed emotion when Mom must let go even though she desperately wants to do anything but.) Red Riding Hood Revisited presents the hopes and longing of grandmother, Veiled Retrospective and Mom’s advice for a daughter’s ‘big day,’ Essential Minutiae is a glimpse at all those important ‘little things’.

The flow of writer/poet Ferrer’s writing is delicate and graceful then swinging and twirly, now foot stomping and then swaying to the beat of the hearts of Mother and Daughter. The reader follows Mom and child from the moments of choosing the perfect name to birth through the terrible twos and on to watching a beautiful butterfly emerge from the little girl cocoon. Harmony and discord, adoration and frustration each is realized, accepted and met with intuitive understanding that without the one the other would not be so sweet. September Lullaby with its heartfelt sincerity might be the mantra for every mother trying to help their own child cope with the uncertainty caused on 9 1 1. Words spilling from the pages of Dancing with my Daughter: poems of love, wisdom & dreams are filled with merriment and admonition, rueful awakening and acceptance. The awe new mother’s experience is soon offset with the antics of a toddler bounding through the house with all the abandon of a hippo on ice skates. Dainty dresses give way to styles that cause a mother to cringe before a sophisticated, stylish young woman appears. The reader considers both her personal childhood and the bonds she is forging with her own child while savoring the words Writer/poet Ferrer cleverly presents on the pages of Dancing with my Daughter: poems of love, wisdom & dreams.

Lovely gift book for a new mom, Your mom, or Grandmother. While I have only sons, I enjoyed the read, thought of my nieces and am happy to recommend.