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A Child's Introduction to Ballet: The Stories, Music, and Magic of Classical Dance
The latest volume in Black Dog’s successful book-and-CD series combines the mesmerizing stories of the world’s great ballets with fun facts, dancing how-tos, history, profiles— all accompanied by charming original watercolors. From Swan Lake and The Nutcracker to Peter and the Wolf and Fancy Free, the of twenty-five of the world’s best-loved ballets are told, accompanied by corresponding tracks on an enclosed CD. These are the charming stories that bring ballet to life on the stage, along with the music that has made them into enduring classics. Surrounding the stories is a captivating, illustrated history of ballet, each page filled with information, artwork, and profiles of the world’s great dancers, choreographers, and composers. There are even instructions on ballet positions and the key moves that every dancer needs to know. The musical selections included on the CD are keyed to specific points in the text, making the book uniquely interactive, educational, and fun.
Hardcover
First published April 30, 2007
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71 people want to read
About the author
Laura Lee
502 books99 followersLaura Lee is the author of 22 books. In addition to a large catalog of humorous reference titles such as The Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation and Don't Screw It Up, she has written one children's book, A Child's Introduction to Ballet, two novels, Angel and Identity Theft, and Oscar's Ghost, which deals with conflicts between members of Oscar Wilde's circle over his legacy after the playwright's death and Wilde Nights & Robber Barons, the story of a member of Wilde's circle who went on to be part of an international band of confidence tricksters who used false titles of nobility.
The San Francisco Chronicle has said of her work: "Lee's dry, humorous tone makes her a charming companion... She has a penchant for wordplay that is irresistible."
Lee brings to her writing a unique background which includes work as a professional mime, improvisational comic, and radio announcer. After a three-year stint as a part-time touring public relations director for a Russian ballet company, Lee has returned to her native
Michigan where she divides her time between writing and producing ballet educational tours with her partner a Russian ballet dancer and director.
The San Francisco Chronicle has said of her work: "Lee's dry, humorous tone makes her a charming companion... She has a penchant for wordplay that is irresistible."
Lee brings to her writing a unique background which includes work as a professional mime, improvisational comic, and radio announcer. After a three-year stint as a part-time touring public relations director for a Russian ballet company, Lee has returned to her native
Michigan where she divides her time between writing and producing ballet educational tours with her partner a Russian ballet dancer and director.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 30, 2018
There were more synopses of ballet stories here than in a lot of other intro ballet books I've read, and I liked the emphasis on history and music.
There's a CD accompanying the book, and the book suggests when to listen to what track. It's often a kind of guided listening, putting the music into context or suggesting another piece of music to compare it to.
The synopses were really well done. They tell the story without getting caught in too many details. For some of the stories included here, there may be more thorough picture book retellings, but the stories presented here will match well with most ballet productions. The only synopsis that I didn't like was the one for Don Quixote, which was much shorter than the others. It emphasized different moments than most productions do, and it cut major scenes.
This book talks about steps less than most intro ballet books do, but it does talk about them some. It talks about some basic positions and steps and then batterie and fouettes. The page about fouettes is followed with a page talking about spotting and why we do it (with science!).
The history was mostly correct. There were a lot of simplifications and some small errors, but it's an excellent place for a child interested in ballet to start learning its history. Structuring the book around stories means that some historically important things (like the full impact of Balanchine and even Robbins and Ashton) are lacking, but it still tries to address them. The book gives a good sense of major dancers and choreographers through ballet's history, sometimes with full pages or spreads, and sometimes with insets.
The weakest historical aspect for me was actually the structuring of the sections. The sections were more or less France, Russia, "ballet to go," the US, and "ballet all-stars." But Fille was in the France section -- originally true, but very much neglecting the importance of Ashton's choreography (a choice that was inconsistent with choices for other ballets). And other than a small note about Bournonville's choreography of La Sylphide, there's nothing about Denmark. The "ballet to go" section was mostly about the Ballets Russes, but it also included Peter and the Wolf and Romeo and Juliet. The first probably belongs in the US section, and the second was out of chronological order, especially given that Cinderella (credited to Zakharov) was in the US section and Little Humpbacked Horse was in the ballet all-stars section. The US section (actually titled "From Russia to America") included an Ashton work, and Balanchine's Midsummer's was in ballet all-stars instead.
I liked this phrasing: "Men could dance that way (en pointe) but they usually don't. It's a tradition. There's no other reason." The use of "usually" is good, and this doesn't set up pointe as a feminine thing. In a section on pas de deux and partnering, the text mentions that both dancers are doing work in a lift.
There's a CD accompanying the book, and the book suggests when to listen to what track. It's often a kind of guided listening, putting the music into context or suggesting another piece of music to compare it to.
The synopses were really well done. They tell the story without getting caught in too many details. For some of the stories included here, there may be more thorough picture book retellings, but the stories presented here will match well with most ballet productions. The only synopsis that I didn't like was the one for Don Quixote, which was much shorter than the others. It emphasized different moments than most productions do, and it cut major scenes.
This book talks about steps less than most intro ballet books do, but it does talk about them some. It talks about some basic positions and steps and then batterie and fouettes. The page about fouettes is followed with a page talking about spotting and why we do it (with science!).
The history was mostly correct. There were a lot of simplifications and some small errors, but it's an excellent place for a child interested in ballet to start learning its history. Structuring the book around stories means that some historically important things (like the full impact of Balanchine and even Robbins and Ashton) are lacking, but it still tries to address them. The book gives a good sense of major dancers and choreographers through ballet's history, sometimes with full pages or spreads, and sometimes with insets.
The weakest historical aspect for me was actually the structuring of the sections. The sections were more or less France, Russia, "ballet to go," the US, and "ballet all-stars." But Fille was in the France section -- originally true, but very much neglecting the importance of Ashton's choreography (a choice that was inconsistent with choices for other ballets). And other than a small note about Bournonville's choreography of La Sylphide, there's nothing about Denmark. The "ballet to go" section was mostly about the Ballets Russes, but it also included Peter and the Wolf and Romeo and Juliet. The first probably belongs in the US section, and the second was out of chronological order, especially given that Cinderella (credited to Zakharov) was in the US section and Little Humpbacked Horse was in the ballet all-stars section. The US section (actually titled "From Russia to America") included an Ashton work, and Balanchine's Midsummer's was in ballet all-stars instead.
I liked this phrasing: "Men could dance that way (en pointe) but they usually don't. It's a tradition. There's no other reason." The use of "usually" is good, and this doesn't set up pointe as a feminine thing. In a section on pas de deux and partnering, the text mentions that both dancers are doing work in a lift.
November 4, 2020
This book looks nice and I would probably have given it a solid three stars, BUT this revised and updated version is a total dud. Instead of a companion music CD, it gives a link to a site that only produces an error message. I tried going to and searching the publishing company's website and found a description of the book but, once again, no music.
The lack of musical examples is a huge disappointment, especially since they are so integrally woven into the text.
The content of the book is good, there's a nice overview of Ballet history and summaries of important/popular Ballets. I love watercolors, but these illustrations seem rather simple and amateurish. I would have preferred a more realistic depiction of the dancers and historical figures.
If you have a ballet-loving child, find a used copy of the book AND CD. Otherwise, don't waste your money on this "new & improved" edition.
The lack of musical examples is a huge disappointment, especially since they are so integrally woven into the text.
The content of the book is good, there's a nice overview of Ballet history and summaries of important/popular Ballets. I love watercolors, but these illustrations seem rather simple and amateurish. I would have preferred a more realistic depiction of the dancers and historical figures.
If you have a ballet-loving child, find a used copy of the book AND CD. Otherwise, don't waste your money on this "new & improved" edition.
October 12, 2023
We really enjoyed A Child's Introduction to the Orchestra, so we decided to give A Child's Introduction to Ballet a chance. And it just didn't keep the girls' attention. Probably a great addition to the library of any small ballerina--we're just more interested in the classical music side of it rather than the dance side. If we had more time, we probably would have kept going with it, but our Morning Time is crowded as it is--we don't have space for books that are only "meh".
December 6, 2020
Love that it covers the stories and music of dance, with a main focus on the stories.
Read
June 18, 2022I would have hoped that we'd finally stopped calling all the peoples of eastern Europe "Russian", but no... There are some mistakes in this one that were downright offensive to me.
September 25, 2024
So sweet and perfect for a ballet beginner (or even a non beginner!) Through ballet tips, history, and the plots of many ballets, you get a whimsical scope of the art.
March 13, 2012
If you have a daughter who is into ballet, or you're just curious about ballet yourself, this is the book to get. I came across this book while doing research for my daughter's party and it just blew me away how detailed it is. I find myself enjoying the history and the whimsical illustrations -- it has more than enough info for a Jeopardy contestant to win the category. It details the stories of some famous ballet performances as well as the music--the book comes with a sample track of ballet music. Magnifique!
October 21, 2016
This book is a great introduction to ballet! I love that it has the simple story synopsis for many different ballets, and includes a musical piece to go along with each of them. All the while introducing different aspects and terms of ballet throughout the book and stories.
One that we can use over and over again
One that we can use over and over again
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews