Customer Reviews

Honk!: The Story of a Prima Swanerina

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A good friend of mine lent me a copy of this book to share with my little ballerinas (ages 3-6) during our summer dance camp. I must say, I probably enjoyed reading this story more than my students enjoyed listening to it. (We all loved it!) It is nice to find a book written based upon the ballet "Swan Lake" that children can relate to. Through Mimi, this book teaches with a little practice and persistance you never know what might prevail. Good life lessons that any child can benefit from. A great book!

Just the title alone is enough to have your child want to read this book over and over. But what I love about this book, is that through hard work perseverance and persistance this lovable swan realizes her dream, even when it seemed impossible. Not such bad things to be teaching your child in this age of Pokémon and World Federation Wrestling!

"Honk!" reminds me of those old Barbara Streisand films, "Funny Girl" and "Funny Lady," where the determined--but klutzy--performer becomes the star of the show. Here Mimi Swan drives her animal friends in the Parisian pond crazy with all her ballet practice. After watching a ballet with the pigeons through the Opera House window where she notices, "They're all pretending to be me," she does everything she can to get in, much to the agitation of the manager.

"Honk!" is a delightful introduction to ballet for youngsters, but be prepared to pronounce the proper French ballet terminology, such as "en pointe" and "demi-plied" (with an accent over the e). And while the title of the ballet is never mentioned, Pamela Duncan Edwards' sense of humor is not wasted on those who recognize it as "Swan Lake!"

I just read this enjoyable title to a class of second-graders in our school library who really enjoyed it.

A good friend of mine lent me a copy of this book to share with my little ballerinas (ages 3-6) during our summer dance camp. I must say, I probably enjoyed reading this story more than my students enjoyed listening to it. (We all loved it!) It is nice to find a book written based upon the ballet "Swan Lake" that children can relate to. Through Mimi, this book teaches with a little practice and persistance you never know what might prevail. Good life lessons that any child can benefit from. A great book!

We got this from the library by accident, and now I am going to buy it. My daughter (4 1/2) and my son (2 1/2) both loved it. Mimi's pluck is great, and her travails are hysterical. A real plus for me was that I was able to use her as an example of the benefits of practicing. (A tough concept for a 4 year old.) When Mimi's perserverence finally gets her onstage, she performs beautifully because she had practiced all of the ballet moves. "Nice shoes dear!" whispers one of the ballerinas.

This is a delightful book, especially for a child interested in dance. The illustrations are bright, colourful and beautifully drawn. I loved the story, it's touching, funny and warm. I hope you like it too.

Honk is the story of my friend at work's sister, Mimi, in the book known as Mimi Swan. This is a charming, delightful story of a swan who above all else wants to be a ballerina. Her goal comes true and she lives happily ever after as a prima Swanerina. The illustrator, Henry Cole, dedicated the book to my friend at work's sister, Mimi, and to her sister Bitsy. For this honor they are forever grateful.