Sparks Fly High:
The Legend of Dancing Point 

published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN 0374344523

Colonial American Folktale
for ages 5 to 10

Click the book cover
to purchase online!

Awards and Reviews

Capitol Choices Selection

Bank Street Best Book

"Bursting with sizzle." --Kirkus (starred review)

The Story

In this lively re-telling of a colonial American folktale, Colonel Lightfoot enters a dance contest with the devil for a bit of Virginia land along the James River.  Only when the colonel recognizes his own bragging words in the devil's boasts is he able to outsmart his fancy-stepping opponent.  Dramatic acrylic-and-pastel illustrations by Leonid Gore.  Book set close to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.  

Exploring America's Colonial Past  

Colonel Philip Lightfoot (1689-1748) was a prosperous gentleman with several homes in or close to Williamsburg, Virginia, now a restored historic town. Check Colonial Williamsburg's website www.history.org to see how people of that time lived, dressed, ate, and entertained (dancing was a favorite pastime).

See publisher's Q&A sheet for Sparks Fly High and photos of the real Dancing Point, Virginia.

Learn to dance the jig that beat the devil!

Teaching and Writing Activities for Sparks Fly High and Mary's other books.

Dancing Point, the site of the legendary dance contest between Colonel Lightfoot and the devil, juts into
the James River in Charles City County, Virginia

Colonel Lightfoot's grave, near the site of
his country home, Tedington, on the James River.