I Dreamed I Was a Ballerina

by Anna Pavlova, Edgar Degas (Illustrator)

Enhanced with paintings from Impressionist Edgar Degas, Anna Pavlova's story of becoming a ballerina and her passion toward the dance are expressed in this brilliantly illustrated picture book.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens, Biography, Nonfiction, School

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2001

About the author

Famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova played her roles in The Dying Swan and Les Sylphides .

People widely regard Anna Pavlova of the most classical dancers in history and most note her as a principal artist of the imperial Russian ballet and the ballets Russes of Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev. People frequently cite her probably most well known greatness. Pavlova, most recognized for the creation, first toured with her own company around the world.

Train of Pavlova on tour in The Hague, Netherlands, mildly derailed. Dressed only in pajamas and a light scarf, she walked the length of the train to see happenings. Three weeks later, she died of pneumonia. Reportedly, she said, "If I can't dance, then I'd rather be dead," and asked to hold her costume. While holding her costume, she spoke her last words; "Play the last measure very softly."

Reviews

[Jennifer B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely picture book combines art and Ballet, so it's perfect for anyone who appreciates both.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book combining short excerpts from Anna Pavlova's autobiography paired with some of Degas' (many!) paintings and sketches of ballerinas, along with a few relevant non-ballerina paintings. Here, the focus is on Pavlova's early life, her poverty-stricken childhood and the dream-come-true day when her mother takes her to see "The Sleeping Beauty" ballet. That night, Pavlova dreams that SHE is the ballerina. The afterword explains how that dream also came true ;-)

(parents may wish to screen the author's note first as it mentions how Pavlova love ballet so much she chose to die rather than live a life without ballet.)

Though I'm not sure this story would captivate the youngest audiences, there are already many picture books out there for the 4-8 year old ballerinas. This book is a welcome addition to the genre for older children, those ready to explore beyond the "Angelina Ballerina" fantasy worlds of ballet or the stories about contemporary little girls in ballet class, and delve into the real-lives of some famous ballerinas. It's also a great way to introduce them to Degas' work.

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the classical: art, choirs, orchestras, symphonies, the opera and the Ballet. It is a shame that the classical is dying and or else being replaced with the modern. This book shows that one can battle obstacles and strive to achieve a dream.

[Oier Quincoces · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courtney (11) is in ballet again and was happy to volunteer to read this one aloud to our family tonight.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna Pavlova is one of the most revered names in twentieth century classical ballet. As a teenager and as a young adult I read stirring biographies illuminating both her professional and personal life. I Dreamed I was a Ballerina- a girlhood story by Anna Pavlova introduces younger readers to the life of Pavlova. Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, the book is autobiographical, taken from excerpts of Pavlova’s memoirs.
Born in a suburb of St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1881 Pavlova was raised in poverty. Although poor, her widowed mother was dedicated to providing young Anna opportunities for a better life. The story follows Pavlova’s written recollection of a pivotal event in her young life that started the path toward her professional career and passion for ballet, attending her first ballet performance. As a birthday present, Anna and her mother attended the ballet, Sleeping Beauty, at the illustrious Marinsky Theater. This performance would live in her memory forever.
At times the translated text in the book is more formal than that of the typical young twenty-first century reader but is still understandable. Comprehension is enhanced by beautiful images of dancers and other works of art from the Edgar Degas collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A short biography of both Anna Pavlova and Edgar Degas, famed for his images of ballet dancers of the Paris Opera, follow the main story. This book is a must read for all young aspiring dancers and worth adding to the lending library of all dance instructors.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that the format of this book was really interesting because the artwork was not originally made to fit the story but the parallel between Pavlova's story and Degas' artwork is incredible. Because the story is about a young girl going to the ballet, I find it very refreshing that the language is simple. I also really enjoy Degas' artwork. I took dance lessons as a child and his paintings were all over the studio. Reading this book brought back memories of standing at the ballet bar doing plies.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a little biased toward this book, having been a ballerina for almost my whole life and having Edgar Degas as my number one favorite artist... but no matter the case I was in loved with it! The story was a beautiful, succinct tale of the experience that brought Anna Pavlova to want to enter the ballet. Each picture in the book is one of Edgar Degas paintings, so of course they are to die for. A great story.

[Halli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book were beautiful. It looked like there were different illustrations techniques used. On some pages the illustrations looked painted, on others they looked as tho the pictures was made up of millions of tiny little dots. Some pages looked as tho the illustrator used crayons, mixed colors, and on one page it looks as though they sketched the picture with a pencil. Very unique yet still pretty.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for any child who loves ballet. With Anna Pavlova's words depicting her childhood dream of becoming a ballerina accompanied by Degas' pictures of dancers, the book entices the reader into the dream.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long time ago my grandmother gave me this book along with a ballerina necklace and doll. I have loved ballet for a long time, and my grandmother knew that this was a good book. I loved it, and recommend others reading it as well. :)

[Liesl Guymon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this story because of how perfectly the art and the story went together. It was a beautiful story of someone chasing after their childhood dream. It was inspiring to me to chase after dreams that I have.

[Emily Bridenstine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this biography. The pictures were beautiful and the story was charming. It shows how a famous ballerina first gained her inspiration and desire to be a dancer. A great book for aspiring dancers.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so cute. Totally captured what it feels like to be a child mesmerized by the magic and beauty of theater and dance. And what a wonderful introduction to Degas’ paintings for children!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Pavlova's story of what inspired her to become a prima ballerina, illustrated with the art of Degas. Inspiring for young girls (probably 7+).

[Mary Meldrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how the art work tells the story. Amazing that they were not made for each other.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very beautiful.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good quick read. It has amazing art work to go with the story. I loved this and any girl who likes to dance will also love it.

[Melissa]

Beautiful.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

High vocab and I love the degas paintings

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The words are a translated excerpt from Anna Pavlova's autobiography Pages of My Life.
The illustrations are all by Degas.

This is the story of a single mother and her only daughter. They don't have much money, but the mother somehow finds money for special treats for her daughter. One year, the birthday treat was a visit to the theatre to see the ballet of Sleeping Beauty. The girl is so inspired by what she saw on stage that she promised herself she would be up there one day.

That's basically where the story ends.

Back matter tells what Anna Pavlova had to overcome to reach her goals.

[reveurdart · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You are going to enter fairyland," she said, as we were being whirled across the darkness toward the theater, that mysterious unknown.

One of my all time favourites. Wonderful for readers of all ages.

[Zarina Marsaleh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book meant for younger readers but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Love Edgar Degas’ ballet paintings - I find them mesmerizing - which brought me to this book, and introduced me to Anna Pavlova. A lovely combination.

[Kenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book and fell in love with it i am quite well a ballet dancer and i love ballet and after i read this book i fell in love with ballet more that now I'm so ambitious about it so if you are a ballet dancer or you fancy ballet I totally recommend this book ❤️❤️

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, hmmmm. The story was fine and from Pavlova's autobiography. The pictures were Degas. But they did not connect. I am not sure why they are together like this. The information in the back even says they probably never met.

[Crystal M · Rating 5 out of 5]

well that was freakin beautiful! I could feel the cold snow of St. Petersburg and the jittery, child-like excitement. Such a sweet gem.

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna <3

[Baroness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect bedtime story.

[Erin Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A children's story of Anna Pavlova's childhood dreams that led her to be the prima ballerina in Russian Ballet.