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Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson
This beautiful picture book tells the little-known story of Raven Wilkinson, the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company and an inspiration to Misty Copeland.
When she was only five years old, her parents took her to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
Raven perched on her crushed velvet seat, heard the tympani, and cried with delight even before the curtain lifted. From that moment on, her passion for dance only grew stronger.
No black ballerina had ever danced with a major touring troupe before. Raven would be the first.
Raven Wilkinson was born on February 2, 1935, in New York City. From the time she was a little girl, all she wanted to do was dance. On Raven's ninth birthday, her uncle gifted her with ballet lessons, and she completely fell in love with dance. While she was a student at Columbia University, Raven auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and was finally accepted on her third try, even after being told she couldn't dance with them because of her skin color.
When she started touring with her troupe in the United States in 1955, Raven encountered much racism in the South, but the applause, alongside the opportunity to dance, made all the hardship worth it. Several years later she would dance for royalty with the Dutch National Ballet and regularly performed with the New York City Opera until she was fifty.
This beautiful picture book tells the uplifting story of the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company and how she became a huge inspiration for Misty Copeland. Theodore Taylor III's unique, heavy line style of illustration brings a deeper level of fluidity and life to the work, and Misty Copeland's beautifully written foreword will delight ballet and dance fans of all ages.
When she was only five years old, her parents took her to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
Raven perched on her crushed velvet seat, heard the tympani, and cried with delight even before the curtain lifted. From that moment on, her passion for dance only grew stronger.
No black ballerina had ever danced with a major touring troupe before. Raven would be the first.
Raven Wilkinson was born on February 2, 1935, in New York City. From the time she was a little girl, all she wanted to do was dance. On Raven's ninth birthday, her uncle gifted her with ballet lessons, and she completely fell in love with dance. While she was a student at Columbia University, Raven auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and was finally accepted on her third try, even after being told she couldn't dance with them because of her skin color.
When she started touring with her troupe in the United States in 1955, Raven encountered much racism in the South, but the applause, alongside the opportunity to dance, made all the hardship worth it. Several years later she would dance for royalty with the Dutch National Ballet and regularly performed with the New York City Opera until she was fifty.
This beautiful picture book tells the uplifting story of the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company and how she became a huge inspiration for Misty Copeland. Theodore Taylor III's unique, heavy line style of illustration brings a deeper level of fluidity and life to the work, and Misty Copeland's beautifully written foreword will delight ballet and dance fans of all ages.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published January 16, 2018
About the author
Leda Schubert
22 books9 followersLeda Schubert is the author of several picture books, including Nathan's Song, illustrated by Maya Ish-Shalom; Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson; Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing, and Monsieur Marceau, which won the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. She lives in Vermont with her husband and two dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 11, 2018
When Raven Wilkinson was 5 years old, her saw her first ballet and was smitten with dance. When she was 9, her uncle gave her ballet lessons for her birthday. It didn't take long for her teacher, the well-respected Madame Maria Swoboda, to recognize that Raven was a student with real talent. In 1953, Raven started Columbia University, and auditioned for the Ballet Russe. In 1955, at Raven's third audition, she was finally selected to dance with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. The ballet traveled quite a bit, and, being African American, Raven often met with racist attitudes in southern states that sometimes almost turned into physical danger. Nevertheless, Raven stayed with Ballet Russe for six years, leaving in 1962 for Holland and the Dutch National Ballet, where she danced for seven years. Returning to the US, Raven danced with the New York City Opera until 1985. Raven was a truly courageous trailblazer, paving the way for Misty Copeland to become the first African American principle dancer with the American Ballet Theater. Theodore Taylors line illustrations have the quality of simple comic book images but make no mistake, they convey with clarity both the happiness and seriousness of Raven Wilkinson's career and they do not shy away from the racist obstacles she faced as a young African American dancer. Be sure to read the forward by Misty Copeland, and the Afterword by Raven Wilkinson. Pair this with Firebird: Ballerina Misty Copeland Shows a Young Girl How to Dance Like the Firebird.
November 16, 2021
A good introduction to the life and accomplishments of Raven Wilkinson.
February 20, 2019
Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson is a children's picture book written by Leda Schubert and illustrated by Theodore Taylor III. It is a cursory biography Raven Wilkinson, her love for dancing, and how she broke the race barrier to become the first African American woman to be signed to a major classical ballet company.
February, at least in my part of the world is Black History Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today.
Anne Raven Wilkinson was an American dancer who is credited with having been the first African-American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company. Wilkinson broke the color barrier in 1955 when she signed a contract to dance full-time with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She was promoted to soloist during her second season with the troupe, and remained with the company for six years.
Schubert's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. It recounts the first instance where young Raven Wilkinson experienced ballet and from that moment on, she knew what she wanted to be – a ballet dancer. Taylor's illustrations are drawn extremely well and depicted the narrative wonderfully.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It depicts the first instance where Raven Wilkinson fell in love with ballet, her dreams of becoming a dancer, her struggles to fulfill the dream, the barriers the color of skin caused, and to finally become the first African-American dancer to be signed by a major classical ballet company.
All in all, Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson is a wonderful, informative, and inspirational biography of Raven Wilkinson.
February, at least in my part of the world is Black History Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today.
Anne Raven Wilkinson was an American dancer who is credited with having been the first African-American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company. Wilkinson broke the color barrier in 1955 when she signed a contract to dance full-time with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She was promoted to soloist during her second season with the troupe, and remained with the company for six years.
Schubert's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. It recounts the first instance where young Raven Wilkinson experienced ballet and from that moment on, she knew what she wanted to be – a ballet dancer. Taylor's illustrations are drawn extremely well and depicted the narrative wonderfully.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It depicts the first instance where Raven Wilkinson fell in love with ballet, her dreams of becoming a dancer, her struggles to fulfill the dream, the barriers the color of skin caused, and to finally become the first African-American dancer to be signed by a major classical ballet company.
All in all, Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson is a wonderful, informative, and inspirational biography of Raven Wilkinson.
October 8, 2023
Copyright date: 2018
Star rating: 5
Award: N/A
Genre: Nonfiction
Summary w/ themes: This book is about ballerina Raven Wilkinson who was one of the first black dancers to sign with a professional dance company in 1955. This book goes through her life as a ballerina and the hardships that she faced dealing with racism and tells us that while she was touring she once didn't perform because it was risky in the white supremacy south. This book has themes of ballet and following your dreams.
Use for future classroom: This would be a fun book to keep on my bookshelf and maybe read aloud for black history or women's history.
Thoughts of book: I really liked this book. As someone that was once a ballerina and is now a ballet teacher, I am surprised that I had never heard about Wilkinson before I read the book. I think it is amazing that she was a trailblazer and become a role model for many other black ballerinas, such as Misty Copeland, who was a recent black ballerina who was the first black principle dancer for ABT.
Star rating: 5
Award: N/A
Genre: Nonfiction
Summary w/ themes: This book is about ballerina Raven Wilkinson who was one of the first black dancers to sign with a professional dance company in 1955. This book goes through her life as a ballerina and the hardships that she faced dealing with racism and tells us that while she was touring she once didn't perform because it was risky in the white supremacy south. This book has themes of ballet and following your dreams.
Use for future classroom: This would be a fun book to keep on my bookshelf and maybe read aloud for black history or women's history.
Thoughts of book: I really liked this book. As someone that was once a ballerina and is now a ballet teacher, I am surprised that I had never heard about Wilkinson before I read the book. I think it is amazing that she was a trailblazer and become a role model for many other black ballerinas, such as Misty Copeland, who was a recent black ballerina who was the first black principle dancer for ABT.
March 28, 2019
When Misty Copeland became American Ballet Theater's first black principal dancer in 2015, she named Raven Wilkinson as an inspiration and a mentor. This biography gives a broad overview of Wilkinson's life bookended by two "firsts": the first time Wilkinson saw a ballet performance, and the first time she saw a black ballerina (Misty Copeland) perform as both the white and the black swans in "Swan Lake." Schubert's storytelling is straightforward, supported by Taylor III's comic-book-like art. I didn't care too much for the art style, so I couldn't give it 5 stars, but it was still an enjoyable read - an important story about a woman who not only lived her dream of dancing, but inspired countless others that they could pursue the same dream.
February 26, 2019
This is more of a 4.9 I think I wanted a full length biography and not the medium length picture book. However, if you have a young lady into ballet this would be a good book for them. If you are doing a class about women trailblazers this would be a good book to add. Or if you are doing African American history. The nice thing about the book is they are matter of fact. Yes, they talk about the things around her (the burning of crosses, the Klan out in the open, men harassing her on stage) but they also show the journey of a dancer. Amazing illustrations. They help take the "sting" of the harsh away and show you how beautiful Wilkinson is.
February 7, 2020
What a story of courage and perseverance!
I love Misty Copeland and reading about ballerina Raven Wilkinson, who blazed the trail for ballerinas of color everywhere was a compelling history lesson. It made me wonder if I had seen her perform in NYC when I was a child visiting our grandparents (mid 1970s to early 1980s) but I do not think so.
I recall one performance of the Nutcracker where the Sugar Plum Fairy was African American and I thought she was gorgeous! I would have loved for it to be ballerina Wilkinson.
I love seeing people persevere and succeed. This is a timeless and uplifting story for anyone who is looking for encouragement to never give up or give in.
I love Misty Copeland and reading about ballerina Raven Wilkinson, who blazed the trail for ballerinas of color everywhere was a compelling history lesson. It made me wonder if I had seen her perform in NYC when I was a child visiting our grandparents (mid 1970s to early 1980s) but I do not think so.
I recall one performance of the Nutcracker where the Sugar Plum Fairy was African American and I thought she was gorgeous! I would have loved for it to be ballerina Wilkinson.
I love seeing people persevere and succeed. This is a timeless and uplifting story for anyone who is looking for encouragement to never give up or give in.
November 4, 2025
The mood of this story is inspiring and hopeful. The book tells how Raven Wilkinson worked very hard to become a ballerina, even when she faced racism and unfair treatment. The tone is honest, but also encouraging, because it shows how she stayed strong and didn’t give up on her dream. The illustrations add warmth and pride, which helps readers feel her courage. The message shows that talent, passion, and bravery can help break barriers — and that being the first to do something can help open doors for others.
January 4, 2019
Like other readers, I assumed Misty Copeland was the first African American ballerina to perform with a major American company, so this was an eye opener for me!
I enjoyed this book and thought it was age appropriate but, as an adult, it left me wanting a bit more information on Raven Wilkinson's life. I will look into finding this information in other sources.
All in all, a good book for beginner readers, with lovely pictures.
I enjoyed this book and thought it was age appropriate but, as an adult, it left me wanting a bit more information on Raven Wilkinson's life. I will look into finding this information in other sources.
All in all, a good book for beginner readers, with lovely pictures.
February 7, 2023
This is a book I think is important for students to read. It motivates students to try their hardest and overcome struggles. Students may be able to relate to being passionate about something such as a sport. This book also brings up an important lesson about racism about how some people were not allowed to have certain opportunities because of their race. This book gives students a positive black female role model.
June 5, 2018
I found this introductory biography to be outstanding! The story follows the journey of a young girl who truly believed that "the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Beautifully composed foreword by Misty Copeland and a special note from Raven Wilkinson herself can be found at the end of the book.
Well done Leda Schubert!
Beautifully composed foreword by Misty Copeland and a special note from Raven Wilkinson herself can be found at the end of the book.
Well done Leda Schubert!
March 23, 2018
Nice story, but lacking. There are gaps in Wilkinson's life that felt apparent. I loved Taylor's illustrations in some of his previous works, but they felt out of place in this book. The cover, however, looks wonderful.
January 14, 2021
Raven Wilkinson b. 2 Feb 1935 in NYC
First Black ballerina with major American touring troupe;
ATTENDED Columbia Un in 1953;
Joined convent in 1963;
1967 Raven danced for royalty;
Danced and acted til 2011 when she was 50;
First Black ballerina with major American touring troupe;
ATTENDED Columbia Un in 1953;
Joined convent in 1963;
1967 Raven danced for royalty;
Danced and acted til 2011 when she was 50;
December 5, 2021
This book told the story of Raven Wilkinson who was the first black professional ballerina. It is a gorgeous story about hardships she faced and how her friends and teammates helped protect her in a very difficult time in history. This book is a reminder to be a good ally.
August 26, 2024
I have read and know about Misty Copeland, but had never heard of Raven Wilkinson. Raven was a ballerina in professional companies long before (and inspired) Misty Copeland. She faced challenges because of her race, but she determined to always be fully herself. This is an inspiring story.
September 22, 2025
I really enjoyed getting to learn more about Ravens story and bravery. It takes a lot of courage to even get up on a stage so I cannot imagine what it would be like to get up on stage that people do not want you on.
January 31, 2018
Great biography on a truly talented ballerina!
February 14, 2018
Nice story. I do feel like it jumped over a hunk of her career.
March 4, 2018
What an inspiring story!
March 5, 2018
Inspiring...
March 6, 2018
I wanted there to be more to this.
August 14, 2018
Beautifully illustrated, we delve into the life of ballerina, Raven Wilkinson and the prejudice she faced as a black woman in the rise of her career. Inspiring and well done
December 11, 2018
I assumed Misty Copeland was the first black ballerina with a major company. Today I found out I was wrong and my heart filled with hope with Raven Wilkinson's story.
February 7, 2020
Beautifully illustrated, compelling story, I'm so glad to have been able to learn more about her and her influence on Misty Copeland and other black ballerina's .... GORGEOUS book!
August 3, 2020
CW: Racism, racial slurs
January 3, 2021
Tells the story of Raven Wilkinson from childhood to performing with the New York City Opera, framed by Misty Copeland being promoted to principal at ABT and dancing Odette/Odile.
June 13, 2021
The only thing I didn't like was the illustration style, which felt too cartoony for the content of this book.
November 13, 2021
An insightful read into Raven Wilkinson's journey. Can't wait to read more about her in the future.
February 11, 2022
A heart warming childrens book about Raven Wilkinson. This book is important because Raven is not widely known. I hope more is writen about her in the near future for adult readers.
May 20, 2024
sweet art style. highlights a sports hero most kids wouldn't have heard about before/nice to have options besides Misty Copeland
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews