Synopses & Reviews
In this invitation to ballet, young readers learn all about what happens in ballet class. Works of art by French impressionist Edgar Degas bring the ballet vividly to life, while illustrations by Rachel Isadora picture modern-day girls and boys practicing ballet positions and steps. Complete with a brief history of ballet and a biography of Edgar Degas,
Invitation to Ballet is sure to delight every child who dreams of one day becoming a world-class dancer.
Praise for Invitation to Ballet
andquot;The real treat is seeing Isadoraandrsquo;s picture-book portraits of students juxtaposed with the ethereal works of Edgar Degas, the 19th-century master of ballet painting.andquot;
andmdash;New York Times
andquot;This beautifully illustrated volume offers young dancers an introduction to ballet. Isadoraandrsquo;s pencil-and-watercolor illustrations give the book enormous child appeal while visually defining the terms for positions and movements students will learn in class. A captivating invitation to the beauty of ballet.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist
andquot;This beautifully illustrated book is an introduction to ballet enhanced by the accompanying paintings of Edgar Degas.andquot;
andmdash;Reading Today Online
Synopsis
Every girl remembers her first trip to the ballet: the anticipation beforehand, the orchestra's first notes, the ethereal beauty of the ballerinas. This is a tale of one such girl who was caught up in ballet's mesmerizing spell and became one of the greatest ballerinas of all time.
In a story drawn from her memoirs, Anna Pavlova describes her first visit to the ballet to see the Sleeping Beauty. With simple, childlike language, she captures her love for her mother, the splendor of the ballet, and the moments that changed her life. The words are matched with paintings, pastels, and drawings of the French Impressionist Edgar Degas, to give this story all the magic of a fairytale.
Complete with short biographies of Pavlova and Degas, I Dreamed I Was a Ballerina will delight any child with ballerina dreams.
Synopsis
Told from a child's point of view and illustrated with paintings by Edgar Degas, this journal relates how a little Russian girl named Anna Pavlova was inspired to become one of the world's prima ballerinas. Full color.
About the Author
Carolyn Vaughan is an author and former editor at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She lives in New York City. Rachel Isadora, a former ballerina and a Caldecott Honorand#8211;winning creator of childrenand#8217;s books, lives in New York City.