Ballet School

Features

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 48 pages
• Published by: DK CHILDREN February 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0789492288
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0789492289
• Book Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Weighs: 1.1 pounds

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-DK's signature photography gorgeously illustrates this introductory title. Though it covers no new ground, the text is written from the perspective of a young girl who is nervous about beginning ballet school. Young readers embarking on their own lessons may find reassurance in Jamie's story. Just the right amount of information is presented for the intended audience, including the major positions and steps. Most of the spreads feature a segment of a typical class such as warm-up, barre work, leaping, and improvisation. One quibble is that only boys are shown in the section on leaping and jumping. Additionally, while the girls' clothing is described in detail, the boys' attire is not mentioned. Still, balletomanes of either gender will be interested in the experiences of the young dancers depicted here.
Cheri Estes Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
K-Gr. 3. This large-format book looks inside a ballet studio as a group of beginning students, four girls and two boys, take a class. The double-page-spread format breaks up the subject into shorter topics such as warm-up, the barre, and leaps. On the last pages, after watching two older students demonstrate a pas de deux, the children put on costumes and makeup for their own performances. The text, broken up into small paragraphs accompanying the many color photographs on each page, shows a solid, practical knowledge of the aims and techniques of a good ballet class for young children. Some of the smaller photographs will be useful to ballet students in figuring out, for instance, the correct position of the arms in fourth position. Young children, particularly girls, will find this an enticing glimpse of ballet class. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reader Reviews
Ages 5-8 will find Ballet School a warm story of a young dancer's introduction to the world of ballet. The book follows the expereinces of young ballet students from first dance classes to year-end performances, paired with color photos of the class in action.