The Story of Misty Copeland: An Inspiring Biography for Young Readers

by Frank Berrios

Discover the life of Misty Copeland—a story about changing the world through dance, for kids ages 6 to 9

Misty Copeland is the first Black female principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre. Before she made history and became a symbol of change in the world of ballet, she was a determined girl who loved watching gymnastics and dancing on the drill team. She worked hard and overcame many obstacles to fulfill her dream of becoming a great ballerina. This book helps kids explore how Misty went from being a shy young girl growing up in California to a world-famous ballet dancer and a role model to many people.

This Misty Copeland book for kids

How will Misty's dedication and positive outlook inspire the child in your life?

Genres: History

64 pages, Paperback

Published November 30, 2021

About the author

I was born and raised in Spanish Harlem, Queens, and the Bronx. As a New York kid, I remember riding graffiti-covered subways and hearing hip-hop blaring from parks and passing cars on the street. I loved my city. It was always buzzing with activity and different things for kids to see and do.

But I also loved to just sit and read. It started with daily comic strips like Peanuts by Charles Schulz. Then I discovered Mad Magazine and superhero comics like Batman, Spider-Man and Black Panther. These stories dealt with heroes and villains, innocence and guilt, freedom and justice. I became interested in justice and the legal system and was encouraged to become a lawyer. I had enjoyed working with kids as a counselor at a summer day camp, so I also thought about being a teacher. But after graduating from college, I knew that being a lawyer or a teacher just wasn’t right for me.

I found a temp job at DC Comics in midtown Manhattan. I answered phones, sorted mail, and did other small jobs. It wasn’t creative work, but I met cool people and got lots of free comics. That led to a full-time job in the Editorial Department. I went from reading comic books for fun, to working with legends in the comic book industry. Before long, I moved from DC Comics to Random House Children’s Books, where I’ve worked on a wide variety of Disney and Nickelodeon books over the last twenty years.

I’ve also written several Little Golden Books, including Black Panther, The Amazing Spider-Man, Falcon, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, I Am Captain Kirk and Too Many Tribbles! as well as My Little Golden Book about Jackie Robinson, Football with Dad and Soccer with Mom.

Reviews

[Maiss Lukyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Story of Misty Copeland: A Biography Book for New Readers” is a perfect book for children who are 2nd grade to 4th grade. It's a biography of Misty Copeland of how she made history. These are some things kids in those grades will enjoy and help them stay interested in the material to learn how different it was in her period.

It is especially inspiring to young girls. This biography is a powerful story that helps you understand everything that she went through. It talks about her life. Misty Copeland is from California. She was the first African-American female principal dancer. Her dream was to become a great ballerina. She truly enjoyed watching gymnastics and dancing on the drill team. Misty was shy growing up. Her story is very inspiring to never give up, and she would face any challenges. The book is also great due to its representation of powerful young girls, and its inclusion of a feminine heroine.

I would choose this book for my classroom library since representation matters and to normalize how Misty changed the world through dance. She made a huge difference and sacrificed a lot. The big message this book shows is to always have hope, and that you can do anything that your heart desires.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This chapter book biography about Misty Copeland shares the inspiring true story of how she discovered a love of ballet, succeeded in spite of her disadvantaged background, and became a renowned ballerina. The book addresses themes such as family dysfunction, racial prejudice, and body image pressures in a way that is authentic while still being age-appropriate, and it celebrates Copeland for her talent, hard work, and efforts to pave the way for other young dancers.

This book also has other appealing features, such as the "myth vs. fact" sidebars, a timeline that builds throughout the book, a quiz, a glossary at the end, and open-ended discussion questions.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

[Cherie l brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good easy read to introduce to the world of ballet and from a black ballerina’s perspective. This young lady is an admirable performer. Such a surprise that she did ice red ballet as a teen, rather than as a toddler. Very proud of her.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very in depth biography of Misty Copeland. It detailed her struggles and triumphs beautifully. I appreciated how carefully and thoughtfully written it was.