Barnyard animal dances (again)

Just read the children's book Clorinda (Simon & Schuster, 2003, by Robert Kinerk), which came free with a box of Cheerios. It is, shall we say, a bit derivative of Dumpy La Rue (Henry Holt and Co., 2001, by Elizabeth Winthrop), published two years earlier.

The plot, set to verse: a freespirited {pig named Dumpy/cow named Clarinda} overcomes criticism of peers to become ballet dancer, eventually leading other animals in highly touted barnyard ballet.

From Clorinda:

"You can't dance! Are you nuts?" said a turkey named Doris,
The ducks geese, and hens, in a sort of a chorus,
all said to Clorinda, "No, no. That won't do.
You're only a cow, and what they do is MOO!"

From Dumpy La Rue:

Dumpy La Rue wanted to dance.
"You're a pig," said his father.
"Pigs don't dance.
They grunt, they grovel,
they snuffle for truffles."

Clarinda:

A person can't know what it is she can do.
Be bold and imaginative!
Shoot for the sky!
If it's dance that you love,
then it's dance you should try!"

Dumpy:

But Dumpy La Rue
was a pig
who knew what he wanted to do.
He twirled in the sty,
raised his snout to the sky,
spread his hooves far and wide,
and pretended to fly.

Oddly similar, no?

[Management apologizes for this brief interruption. We will soon return to our regularly scheduled political ranting.]