Dance me a story: Twelve tales from the classic ballets - Hardcover

Jane Rosenberg is an author and illustrator and lives in Los Angeles.

Grade 3-6 The plots of 12 well-known ballets are adequately told so that readers can follow the sequence of events and have an idea of the type of dance movement and music that characterize important moments. For example, Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty, spins towards her Prince and "dives fearlessly into his arms. . . ." In "Giselle" a man "leaps along a diagonal line that the Wilis have formed" to force him to dance to death. The impact of the full-page color illustrations that accompany each plot (along with smaller black-and-white artwork) is often diluted because of poor placement. The illustration of the battle between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King is placed opposite the description of the Stahlbaum party. A picture of the Moor and the Ballerina from the third scene of "Petrouchka" is placed at the end of the tale. With only three collections of ballet plots for children currently in print, this will be a useful addition for school and public library collections. Amy Kellman, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.