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Dana Forman, a second-grade teacher in Larchmont, and her 16-year-old daughter, Sasha, co-authored the children's book "The Hoop Troop," which centers on two third-graders learning how to dance with a hoop and overcoming their self-doubt to do so, according to Forman.
The idea for the book, which was released on Aug. 1, sprouted when Sasha helped her mom teach virtual lessons during the pandemic, and one student noticed a hoop in the background of their screen and became fascinated with it, Forman said.
Soon after, Sasha began teaching hooping lessons to the kids, from which the idea to write the book came.
"Just seeing the grit and determination of my students inspired the idea," Sasha said, also saying that she soon went to her mom with the idea because she knew she wanted to write it with her.
"This is something I knew we had to do together, and she luckily said yes," Sasha said.
The plot of "The Hoop Troop" involves two friends, Savannah and Hudson, learning of an upcoming talent show and being discouraged because they do not know what they are good at. Seeing this, their babysitter, Jazmin, decides to teach them how to start hooping so they can perform it at the show.
One of the book's themes is that practice makes progress and that you should not give up, Forman said.
Both of them also note that the hooping depicted in the book is different than normal hula hooping and involves a thicker hoop with specific grip tape, and more involved dancing moves set to music.
“It’s more like an aerobic art form," Forman said.
"The Hoop Troop" also features illustrations of the dance moves created by Samantha Caponera, who Dana and Sasha worked closely with, as well as actual hoops that are produced by Hoopologie that children can buy to learn the art themselves, they said.
The book is the first one of a planned series, according to Forman.
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