The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories [Hardcover]

Jane Yolen; Heidi E. Y. Stemple (Author), Rebecca Guay; Rebecca Guay-Mitchell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Let yourself be drawn into the magical world of the dance with this sumptuous anthology. Love, laughter, betrayal, adventure and tragedy intertwine to create stories that will reach deep into the heart and dreams of the reader. The story of "The Sleeping Beauty" will whisk you away to the thorny castle where Princess Aurora awaits her prince; the comedy and confusion of "Coppélia" will delight you, and the magical adventures of Clara in "The Nutcracker" will entrance you.

Featuring a brief history of classical ballet, as well as historical details of each dance, composition, choreography and early performances, this book will captivate anyone with a love of this awe-inspiring art.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–These retellings of "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "Coppélia," "Swan Lake," "The Nutcracker," "Daphnis and Chloe," and "Shim Chung: the Blind Man's Daughter" include rich details about the plots and characters. A one-page introduction to each tale provides historical perspective, including who wrote it, who composed the music for the ballet, and who performed the main roles in some of the productions. There is also a brief chronology of classical ballet from 1581 to 1986. The authors have captured the drama, excitement, and magic of these stories, making them enjoyable as read-alouds and enlightening for young theatergoers. The mostly full-page, watercolor illustrations are lush and romantic, and beautifully complement the text. Lovely floral designs border the text pages. This well-conceived and colorful look at some of the great classical ballets will enrich library collections and inspire young dancers.–Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. The histories of seven ballets are present in this books, some well known, other less so. Following an informative introduction and the history of classical ballet, the book moves on to the stories themselves. Each ballet gets an introduction that describes the history of both the story and the dance and provides interesting production notes. The stories, all well written, run up to 10 pages long. They are illustrated with full- or double-page spreads, and each text-only page is decorated with an interesting border. The artwork itself is pretty, if generic; many of the figures look more like dolls than dancers. Among the ballets discussed are Cinderella, Coppelia, The Nutcracker, and Daphnis and Chloe. A bibliography and a list of Web sites are appended. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Barefoot Books (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841482293
• ISBN-13: 978-1841482293
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #833,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An anthology of classic fairy tales, December 7, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories (Hardcover)

Co-authored by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories is an anthology of classic fairy tales that celebrate the art and tradition of ballet. The stories presented are "Coppelia: The Girl with the Enamel Eyes", "Swan Lake", "Cinderella", "The Nutcracker", "Shim Chung: The Blind Man's Daughter", "The Sleeping Beauty", and "Daphnis and Chloe". All of these great stories are wondrously brought to life with Rebecca Guay's beautiful color illustrations in the style of great fairy tale books, and though The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories is meant for young and old alike, the tales are not dumbed down for young readers but are superbly presented in all their glory or sorrowful tragedy, as the case may be. Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book!, November 30, 2004

By 

matt - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories (Hardcover)

The illustrations in this book really live up to what Rebecca Guay can do! There are lots of beautiful two page illustrations with subtly designed costumes and atmospere. The dancers are shown as if dancing in the perfect forms of the ballet ; not on a stage set, but in a fully imagined world of mythology. Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple bring the stories to life in an elegant way that reads well for adults and with the kind of magic kid's are lookining for. This will certainly be an inspiration to many children.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "She is All the Blessing You Will Ever Need...", January 28, 2009

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories (Hardcover)

A collaboration between Jane Yolen, Heidi Stemple and Rebecca Guay is a match made in heaven. Together they create an anthology of ballet stories that lives up to the beautiful cover art.

The stories covered are Coppelia, Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Shim Chung: the Blind Man's Daughter, The Sleeping Beauty and Daphnis and Chloe. (However, I can't help but note that "Giselle" is missing, which is odd considering it would have fit well into the fairytale-esque feel of the anthology.)

Out of all these stories, the only one I was unfamiliar with was "Shim Chung", a story I discovered was based on a Korean myth, and which was one of the first attempts to combine Western ballet with Korean music and culture. The history behind the creation of the ballet is a rather sad one, and so it is fitting that the story itself is one of sacrifice, hope and healing. I hope I get to see it myself one day.

Yolen and Stemple handle the telling of the source material, and tell the old stories in prose that is both poetical and clear. It's always difficult to get across the ferocity of emotion that can be so easily conveyed in dance, (when watching a ballet with exceptional dancers, it's very easy to believe in love-at-first-sight) but the two do well here with their attempts to keep it simple and poignant. Here is the meeting of Prince Florimund and Princess Aurora when he awakens the sleeping beauty:

"You," she whispered.
"You," he answered.
It was a pledge.

It's definitely the romantic in me talking, but I believe it.

Rebecca Guay provides the illustrations, and they are beautiful. Everything has an ornate and old-world glow to it, there are dusky shadows and gleaming baubles, floating garments and graceful hands. The women in particular are lovely: skin seems porcelain, hair seems weightless, and little girls everywhere will drool over the pretty, pretty frocks. If I was to compare her to anyone, it would be Trina Schart Hyman (who coincidentally enough, illustrated a version of "Swan Lake"). Although Hyman is rather more detailed in her backgrounds, their portrayal of women share the same ephemeral quality.

There is an interesting decision made in the setting of the illustrations: since this is a book about *ballet* stories, Guay had the choice of having her figures appear on a stage, or in the context of the story itself. She chooses both, for although the participants are often shown in forests or at sea (where the action takes place) they are always striking ballet poses, and wearing ballet shoes. It's an interesting (but nice) blending.

Along with the stories themselves, it's also worth mentioning that each story comes with a short introduction that gives a history of the ballet in question, explaining the mythical, folklorish or literary inspiration for the ballets, the musicians and dancers involved in the first performances, and the general reception of the ballets themselves. Some amusing tidbits are snuck into these introductions, such as the fact that the New York production of "Cinderella" had to introduce the character of the palace cat that Cinderella dances with for the sole purpose of unfastening the shoe that is left behind at the ball.

There is also a brief timeline of classical ballet (starting with Catherine de Medici's ballet in 1581 to the relatively recent "Shim Chung" in 1986).

Altogether, I'd definitely recommend "Ballet Stories", especially to those who are already being introduced to the world of ballet through lessons at a dance class.