Ballerina! [Hardcover]

Peter Sis (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Do you love to dance?
If so, this is the book for you!

Twist!
Stretch!
Reach!
Leap!

Be a swan!
Be a tiger!
Be a flame!
Be a ballerina!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Young ballerinas who love to leap, twirl, flutter, or float in their leotards and tutus will be enchanted by Peter Sís's graceful celebration of dance in Ballerina!. A little girl named Terry changes from pink tutu to blue gown to violet cape to white feather boa as she dances and imagines herself as the prima ballerina in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Swan Lake. In her mind's eye, the little girl she sees in her bedroom mirror becomes a willowy, poised, grownup dancer with all the glamorous trappings of a real performance. By the end of her own performance, Terry gathers her many different colored scarves and becomes the best ballerina of all, while her audience (her mother and father) "claps and claps and claps."

Peter Sís, creator of such favorites as Madlenka and the Caldecott Honor book for older kids, Tibet: Through the Red Box, brings the joy of dance to the printed page. Terry appears on the left pages in each successive costume, while on the right page readers see a transformed ballerina reflected in her big bedroom mirror, captioned by a dance position or movement: "tiptoe," "dip," "stretch." (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

S¡s here uses the format of his successful series for very young boys (Fire Truck; Ship Ahoy!) to strong effect in exploring a girl's love of ballet. Equipped with a trunkful of dress-up clothes, her dancing aspirations and a full-length mirror, young Terry dreams she is a prima ballerina. With each change of dancewear, she transforms: "She puts on her pink tutu and dances The Nutcracker," writes S¡s, as Terry's reflection shows a graceful, mature ballerina starring as the Sugarplum Fairy. On the next spread, the girl changes into a red leotard, and her exotically dressed reflection leaps over volcanoes in "a fire dance." Each spread also illustrates a physical aspect of dance in non-technical terms ("Stretch," "Twirl," "Leap," etc.). Older balletomanes can fill in the proper labels, but S¡s is more interested in a pas de deux with a child experiencing the first thrill of slipping on leotards, tights and dance shoes. Ages 3-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (March 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688179444
• ISBN-13: 978-0688179441
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,447,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Those Who Love to Dance..., May 22, 2001

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ballerina! (Hardcover)

Little Terry loves to dance and she practices everyday in front of the big mirror in her bedroom. She dons different costumes and watches herself as she twirls, leaps, dips, flutters and floats, in a pink tutu, red leotard, blue gown or yellow turban... And in the mirror, she watches a more mature and poised Terry dance..... Peter Sis has authored a simple, gentle story all budding ballerinas will love and want to imitate. On the left hand page, little Terry practices her steps. While on the right hand page, she watches herself as a more grown-up Terry dance, expertly. His minimal text is delightfully combined with charming and expressive line drawings with just a little color in all the right places. Perfect for pre-schoolers, Ballerina is a must have book for all those who love to dance.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brava! Brava!, September 19, 2003

By 

Michelle "michellesays" (U.S.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ballerina! (Hardcover)

Caution: extra energy required. Don't just sit and read this book to your child - perform it with her! My daughters and I love to "leap" and "twirl" and "dip" and "flutter" along with the main character, Terry. This is the perfect book for aspiring ballerinas. In fact, any child who loves music, loves to dance will love Ballerina! Peter Sis, illustrator of many children's books, has portrayed Terry in bold black and white strokes to complement his simple patterned text. Terry's imaginary prima ballerinas that appear in her bedroom mirror soar in contrasting color. He references several well-known ballets, such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Cinderella. Each graceful movement is accompanied by a different color of the rainbow. Applause! Applause!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Sis, February 7, 2005

By 

CK (The Mini Apple, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ballerina! (Hardcover)

We've really enjoyed Peter Sis' book Madlenka, so when my young daughter became a "ballerina" getting this book was a natural. The illustrations are simple and yet so imaginative. This book truly inspires a young imagination. My daughter now dances in front of her mirror -- as the young ballerina in the book does. And thanks to this book my 3-year-old knows about classic ballets such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake! We have several ballet themed kid books and this one is by far the best.