Giveaway: Dear Ballerina by Monica Wellington!

I'm hosting a giveaway for the new picture book Dear Ballerina, written and illustrated by the generous and talented Monica Wellington and published by Holiday House. But that's not all! Monica's daughter Lydia Wellington is a member of the New York City Ballet, and the winner of the giveaway will also receive a signed pair of Lydia's pointe shoes -- perfect for a special ballet-themed story time! Leave a comment at the end of this post by 11:59 PM EST on Saturday, June 8, 2019, to enter. Please leave contact information if I won't otherwise know how to reach you. 

My two girls are growing up so quickly, and I've been thinking a lot about mentors and role models lately. The girls are both in middle school, and I'm always hoping that new, inspiring people will enter their lives to encourage them and support them in pursuing their still-developing interests and talents. Dear Ballerina struck a chord with me, as I see it playing a similar role of inspiring and encouraging children -- in this case, young girls who are fond of ballet.

The book starts as a simple letter that a little ballerina might write to an older ballerina who had trained at the same dance studio. You can see the opening spread below, along with some of Monica's earlier sketches of the spread.

The text continues from the perspective of the little girl, as she explains how much she loves to dance, how she is preparing for a performance, and how she dreams of following in the older ballerina's footsteps. It is clear from the writing and pictures throughout the book that the young dancer truly idolizes the older ballerina.

When Monica's daughter Lydia was studying ballet as a child, she also used to write letters to ballerinas she admired. Today, the tables are turned, and Lydia frequently receives letters from ballerinas who admire her. In fact, Monica said that's what sparked the idea for this book!

Dear Ballerina ends with a short reply from the older ballerina to the young ballerina, encouraging her to follow her dreams and enjoy every moment of it. At the New York City Ballet, there's a tradition for the professional dancers to send their used pointe shoes to the children who send them letters. It's not unheard of for a professional ballerina to go through 100 or more pairs of pointe shoes a season, so giving away shoes -- as Lydia and the other dancers do -- seems like a great way to reduce waste and make many young dancers giddy with excitement. Below are a few of the letters Lydia has received lately, both asking for and thanking her for her point shoes!

Don't forget to leave a comment on this post, and you could win a copy of Dear Ballerina and receive a pair of Lydia's pointe shoes as well. Also check out this interview with Monica about My Ballet Journal -- a charming journal and coloring book she also created with inspiration from her daughter Lydia. 

Song, Dance, and Music Collide in 'Olé Flamenco'

George Ancona is an award-winning photographer and author with a rich Mexican-American heritage. According to his website, he considers himself a "people photographer" and loves to find people who can teach him new things about interesting topics. He then designs children's books using the photographs he takes and the stories he collects. 

Olé Flamenco (just published by multicultural publisher Lee & Low Books) is Ancona's latest creation. He actually studied flamenco guitar years ago and now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the flamenco community thrives. So, it is only fitting that he would write this book, which is primarily a history and portrait of the art form known as flamenco.

Janira Cordova (the girl featured on the cover) is the youngest member of a Spanish dance company called Flamenco's Next Generation. In the book, Ancona follows Janira as she rehearses flamenco with her company and performs at the annual Spanish Market celebration in Santa Fe. Along the way, readers learn about the Gypsy origins of flamenco and how the various components--song, music, and dance--developed over time.

Words and photos show the "rapid stamping of the heels and thumping of the soles" and the twists and turns of the arms, hands, and fingers that help define the dance. They also show the sharp, strong movements of male dancers and the flair and passion with which women swish their skirts back and forth through the air.

The back of the book contains a glossary and pronunciation guide for Spanish terms, as well as a list of references. Kirkus reviewed the book positively here, but the reviewer suggested that a list of recommended recordings and videos would have been a nice addition. As I'm not an expert in flamenco, I can't really address this comment. But I did happen to find a YouTube video of Flamenco's Next Generation performing, and I think I even see Janira in it.

During the video, you might hear some of the audience members hollering "Olé," which is a shout of approval and encouragement. To this book, as well, I say Olé!

This is my first time participating in Nonfiction Monday--a day when bloggers all over the kidlitosphere blog about nonfiction books for kids. You can read the whole round-up of posts at Shelf-employed. And, before I go, thanks to Lee & Low for my review copy of Olé Flamenco.

Laura Numeroff's Dancing Jellybeans

Some of Laura Numeroff's most popular books are from the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series. We actually own three of them and have even seen a theatre production of If You Give a Pig a Pancake. But did you know that Laura Numeroff has also co-written a book about dance?

The Jellybeans and the Big Dance is the first in a newish series by Laura Numeroff (author), Nate Evans (author), and Lynn Munsinger (illustrator). Here's what publisher Abrams Books for Young Readers has to say about the book:

Emily loves to dance and can't wait to meet the other girls in her class, who are sure to be just like her. But instead she meets Nicole, a tomboy who would rather be playing soccer; Bitsy, who loves arts and crafts; and Anna, a shy bookworm who has no interest at all in dancing. Realizing they have to work together to make their dance recital a success, the girls learn to love each other's differences and strengths as they band together and name their group the Jellybeans!

I would describe this book as sweet (not unlike jellybeans) in all respects. I love how the four characters learn to get along so well by the end of the book, despite the major differences in their personalities. On a related note, it's really cute how they come up with the name for their group:

"Jellybeans are all different flavors, but they still go well together," said Emily. "Maybe we could, too. We can be the dancing Jellybeans!"

The illustrations, too, are very sweet. Their colors blend together so nicely, and there are lots of them...at least two or three scenes on each spread. (As a writer, I have to admit that I often focus way too much on the words in picture books, even though the pictures are just as important. Having this blog is really teaching me to slow down and look closely at all the different components of a book.)

I also love the sparkly title and costumes on the cover. They add a nice touch that certainly makes me want to pick up the book. I'm sure little girls and boys won't be able to resist either. And if they like this book, they might also like the sequel, which was published in March of this year. It's called The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza and looks very entertaining. It takes place in a library instead of a dance studio, but Emily's love for ballet is still apparent.

In the bios at the back of The Jellybeans and the Big Dance, the authors and illustrator each mention their favorite flavor of jellybean. I have to admit that I'm a little more into dark chocolate than jellybeans these days, but if I had to choose a jellybean flavor, I'd choose black licorice. How about you?

Symphony Brings 'Ballet for Martha' to Life

I blogged about the book Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring the other day, mentioning that the St. Louis Symphony was going to perform the score while images from the book were projected on a big screen. Well, today Lynn Andriani of Publishers Weekly reported on last weekend's performances. You can see her article, which is accompanied by several photos from the event, here. According to the article, the symphony is planning additional performances in November, and the concert (including projection of the images from the book) may be repeated at the Aspen Music Festival next summer. Totally awesome!

Poetry Friday: Miss Tutu's Star Shines!

Written by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Carey Armstrong-Ellis, Miss Tutu's Star is a rhyming picture book about a little girl named Selena who loves to dance. She isn't the most graceful student in her ballet class, but dance is in her heart...and she is persistent. After several years of hard work, Selena is ready for her first dance recital. Miss Tutu (her teacher) helps her overcome stage fright by pointing out her strengths, and Selena's love of dance shines through.

Author Leslea Newman has received poetry fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, so it is not surprising that the poetry in this book rolls off the tongue with ease...  

Selena was a little girl

Who did not walk as much as twirl,

Who did not skip as much as prance,

Because Selena loved to dance.

For all of you dance fans out there, I was also impressed by the way Newman integrates ballet terms (including some that novices might not know, like "pas de bouree" and "pas de chat") into the story and creates great rhymes with them.

Another quality I liked was the juxtaposition between the sweet, encouraging text and the fabulously clever, at-times hilarious illustrations. Illustrator Carey Armstrong-Ellis adds several little side stories to the plot. I won't give them away, but one involves Miss Tutu's cat--and eventually a mouse--and is very funny. Armstrong-Ellis also adds quite a few details that create a real richness to the story...things like photos of famous dancers on the walls of Selena's room and wonderful expressions on the faces of even the smallest side characters.

One more thing I can't help but mention is that the colors in this book match the colors in my blog so well. I realize this isn't the best reason for liking a book, but don't you agree that pink and purple look great together? Plus, Selena's pink tutu on the cover actually sparkles. I wish I could make my blog do that!

I think Miss Tutu's Star may soon occupy a place on the list of my favorite rhyming picture books--right up there next to books like Sleepyhead Bear, Jazz Baby, All the World, and the Llama Llama series by Anna Dewdney. Thanks to Abrams Books for Young Readers for my review copy!

Have You Met Katy Duck?

  

Katy Duck is a Caterpillar, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (author) and Henry Cole (illustrator), is a darling book about overcoming disappointment through improvisation and imagination. When Katy Duck is not assigned to be a beautiful flower or a graceful swan in her spring dance recital, she is extremely disheartened. However, by the end of the story, she figures out how to make her small part into something fabulous.

I picked this book as the "debut" book on my blog for several reasons:

1. This is a debut of sorts for Katy Duck, too. She is featured in a handful of board books, but this is the first time she has appeared in a picture book. You can read about all of Katy Duck's adventures here.

2. Alyssa Satin Capucilli has two new Katy Duck activities on her website. You can see them here. One is a connect-the-dots and the other a coloring page. In researching the book, I also discovered that Alyssa Satin Capucilli loves to dance!

3. I was lucky enough to meet Henry Cole at the recent ALA conference in Washington, DC. He seemed like such a fun guy...and a generous one, too. He actually drew a picture of Katy Duck in the notebook I was carrying around with me at the conference. I will keep it forever. Thank you, Henry Cole.

4. This book is terrific!