I really like Barbara McClintock illustrations. They remind me a bit of Peter Spier. I also really love this story. It follows a little girl and her ballerina idol through their day. I think there is still a little girl inside me, fascinated by the elegance of the ballet.
I really appreciate books with somewhat frothy roles for African Americans. There is a huge body of literature of amazing African Americans, which is so important, but the frothy and less serious roles are much more limited. Which is a shame.
This is a recent book, published this year, and I can't help but wonder if it is based loosely on Misty Copeland's becoming the first African American principle dancer in the American Ballet Theatre last year.
And I apologize for the odd picture colors. My computer decided to malfunction (who needs a computer when you are taking five online graduate classes anyway?!) so I don't have access to the original files to change them. And downloading them from here and then changing them seems unnecessarily complicated. So just imagine they are not blue.
They are different sizes, but they both love ballet. Which is the important thing.
Both wake up. Both have ballerina pictures on their walls.
Both go to ballet...
...and work hard.
But then, Emma goes home to get ready for a ballet performance, while Julia stays put to get ready for a ballet performance.
An evening at the ballet. Behind the curtains, in front of the curtains.
Those chandeliers---so magnificent!
Julia, getting ready with the other ballerinas.
Julia, as the star.
Being fabulous.
And then they meet.
Isn't the poufiness of her skirt fabulous?
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