Alvin Ailey [Hardcover]

Andrea Davis Pinkney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1900 | Grade Level: P and up

Describes the life, dancing, and choreography of Alvin Ailey, who created his own modern dance company to explore the black experience.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In their first children's book collaboration, this markedly talented husband-and-wife team offers a warm profile of dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), whose dance company lives on today. The author deftly combines elements of fiction and biography, intertwining Ailey's alleged thoughts and conversations with facts about his childhood, his introduction to the world of dance in Los Angeles during the mid-1940s and his founding of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City in 1958. This effective amalgam of genres easily draws the reader into Ailey's life, lending it appeal for those previously unacquainted with the legendary artist as well as for young fans eager to learn how Ailey launched his impressive career. Matching the finesse of the writing are Brian Pinkney's signature scratchboard renderings handpainted with oil pastels, which manage to convey stateliness as well as quickness, and which culminate in a vivid, motion-filled spread featuring dancers in Ailey's company reeling across the stage--and seemingly right off the pages. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-An accessible picture-book biography that recounts Ailey's boyhood in Texas and his roots in the black church, moves with him and his mother to Los Angeles where he begins to dance, and then proceeds on to New York where he hones his talents and forms his own troupe. Brian Pinkney's marvelously detailed scratchboard drawings are tinted with pastels to show the sweep and flow of dancers caught in the act of leaping, twirling, and soaring through the air. His figures are large and bold, reflecting the spiritual and creative energy of Ailey himself and the performance artists who brought his choreography to life. As such, the book is both informative and inspiring and will make an excellent addition to most collections.
Carol Jones Collins, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (January 1, 1900)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562824139
• ISBN-13: 978-1562824136
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,212,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DANCING TO HIS OWN BEAT: ALVIN AILEY, March 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alvin Ailey (Paperback)

Readers may have heard the name "Alvin Ailey" but this book makes the man live. From the time he was a kid his life was music: at first in church. Alvin's moving, leaping body is caught perfectly in the scratchboard illustrations toned with watercolors and acrylic. A fine top choice biography of an African-American artist!

5.0 out of 5 stars Dancer's dream, February 15, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Alvin Ailey (Paperback)

I think that this book was a really good book because, Alvin make his dream come true by dancing on a stage. I recommend this book to those people who wanted to dance and make their dreams come true.