Book Bundles: Dance

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Salena Barnes. "Passing down history and knowledge from one generation to the next is a tradition deeply rooted in both the Black experience and ballet." Copeland shines a spotlight on twenty-seven Black ballerinas who have inspired her, mentored her, and paved the way for her professional ballet career. Accompanied by a full-page portrait of the dancer in motion (rendered in what looks like ink and watercolor), each one-page essay focuses on the realities of being Black in a "very white ballet world" while discussing the subject's career highlights, struggles, and legacy. Copeland's personal reflections give the collection an intimate perspective.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) PS Illustrated by Jami Gigot. Presented by the American Ballet Theatre. "When I grow up, I'm going to fly, just like my daddy." Ben's classmates try to guess Daddy's occupation as Ben provides more information: "he's super strong," he's "as fast as a hummingbird... / ...but slower than a sloth." Is he a pilot? A football player? A furniture mover? After an impromptu dance performance, his friends know: "Your daddy is a ballet dancer!" The all-dialogue text stays in the classroom, while Gigot's versatile illustrations move seamlessly from Ben and his friends to Ben's father on stage to Ben and Daddy together. Principal dancer for ABT, Forster offers positive messages about dance and fatherhood.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) PS Illustrated by Alea Marley. Young Téo loves to dance. At home, he dances the cumbia and the bhangra with Papí and Amma. In ballet class (where he wears a tutu "because it's pretty"), "he couldn't wait to perform onstage, under the lights in a fancy costume, before a real audience!" When it's time to choose a costume, he's drawn to a skirted leotard that "reminded him of...peonies" but feels pressure to pick the silver shirt and black pants. Macias's gentle story features a winning gender-nonconforming, biracial protagonist and his supportive adults (parents, teacher); Marley's lively illustrations acknowledge Téo's nervousness about being judged and celebrate his joy and bravery when he's true to himself.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gloria Félix. Dancer Alicia Alonso (1920-2019) grew up in Cuba, where she attended the island's sole, poorly funded ballet school. In 1937 she moved to New York to study at the American Ballet Theatre and was well on her way to becoming a prima ballerina when she began to lose her eyesight. In a well-paced narrative, Viña emphasizes Alonso's resilience and determination--as she contends with a new country and language and later as she recovers from eye surgeries, reenters the dance world, learns to dance with impaired vision, and eventually returns to Cuba to teach. Félix's cartoon-style illustrations focus on movement and emotion. An author's note and bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn