What do you think?
Rate this book
Best Big Sister Ever!
Angelina Ballerina and her friends put on a welcome ballet for Angelina’s little sister and other new students in this sweet chapter book featuring an all-new, original Angelina Ballerina story and black-and-white illustrations throughout!
Angelina Ballerina’s little sister, Polly, is starting school for the first time. Angelina wants to make her and the other mouselings feel welcome, so she puts on a special ballet show with her friends! This charming chapter book is perfect for Angelina Ballerina fans beginning to read on their own or for reading aloud!
© 2023 Helen Craig Ltd and Katharine Holabird. The Angelina Ballerina name and character and the dancing Angelina logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited, Katharine Holabird, and Helen Craig.
Angelina Ballerina’s little sister, Polly, is starting school for the first time. Angelina wants to make her and the other mouselings feel welcome, so she puts on a special ballet show with her friends! This charming chapter book is perfect for Angelina Ballerina fans beginning to read on their own or for reading aloud!
© 2023 Helen Craig Ltd and Katharine Holabird. The Angelina Ballerina name and character and the dancing Angelina logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited, Katharine Holabird, and Helen Craig.
64 pages, Paperback
Published May 2, 2023
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Katharine Holabird
297 books81 followersKatharine Holabird is an American writer, best known as the author of the Angelina Ballerina series.
As a child, Holabird was an avid reader who loved fairy tales and stories about heroic animals, and she frequently saw ballets like Cinderella and Swan Lake with her grandmother. The young, imaginative Holabird loved animals, playing in her tree house, and dancing with her sisters. In 1969, she received a B.A. in literature from Bennington College in Vermont and then worked at Bennington College as a literary editor for a year after her graduation. Holabird then found herself in Italy as a freelance journalist where she met her husband, Michael Haggiag. The two married in 1974 and moved to London where she continued to write and worked at a nursery school.
In 1983, her first children’s book, Angelina Ballerina, was published. Holabird’s son, Adam, was her inspiration for the character Henry, and Angelina’s character was inspired by her daughters’ love for dressing up and dancing. Holabird wrote the first draft of Angelina Ballerina at the kitchen table with her daughters dancing around her. In fact, the Angelina books were originally about a girl, but then Craig drew a mouse, and Holabird loved it. “The impulsive character of Angelina came alive,” says Holabird, “and seemed to pirouette off the page with enthusiasm and energy, while her plump and ebullient body expressed drama and attitude in every twitch of her tail.” Angelina is a very emotional character; she is sensitive and often bursts into tears right before offering an apology. She struggles with her conscience but always ends up doing the right thing—which is very familiar to many young children. The universal childhood themes in Angelina include friendship, jealousy, loyalty, & dedication. Holabird’s goal was to realistically portray the difficulties of growing up. According to Holabird, it is a ballerina book for “all the passionate little dancers and performers in the world,” including her own two daughters, which is why she “decided to explore the impulsive, highly emotional character of a small but determined ballerina.”
The first American edition of Angelina Ballerina was published in 1984. A year later, Holabird received the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for Angelina Ballerina. In 1986 and 1987, she received the ALA Notable Book Awards. Angelina’s Christmas was selected as Child Study Association’s Children’s Book of the Year in 1987. The following year, Holabird and Craig published Alexander and the Dragon, their first Alexander book; it is aimed at preschool children who want to be consoled about bedtime monsters. In 1990, Holabird wrote the Alexander sequel, Alexander and the Magic Boat, which portrays a strong mother/son relationship while the two go on a voyage to imaginary worlds. Also in 1990, Holabird received the British Book Design and Production award.
In 1999, HIT Entertainment in London (known for Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, and Barney) secured the rights for Angelina Ballerina and commissioned Grand Slamm Children's Films to make an animated TV pilot. HIT also developed a lot of Angelina merchandise. Angelina made her worldwide television debut in 2001 on CITV in the United Kingdom. In 2002, the Angelina series premiered on PBS Kids TV in the United States. Angelina Ballerina’s Invitation to the Ballet received the prestigious Oppenheim Platinum Award in the U.S. in 2004. That same year, Angelina was named the official spokesperson of National Dance Week in the United States. In 2005, Angelina made her debut on PBS Kids Sprout, a twenty-four-hour digital television channel for preschoolers in the U.S.
As a child, Holabird was an avid reader who loved fairy tales and stories about heroic animals, and she frequently saw ballets like Cinderella and Swan Lake with her grandmother. The young, imaginative Holabird loved animals, playing in her tree house, and dancing with her sisters. In 1969, she received a B.A. in literature from Bennington College in Vermont and then worked at Bennington College as a literary editor for a year after her graduation. Holabird then found herself in Italy as a freelance journalist where she met her husband, Michael Haggiag. The two married in 1974 and moved to London where she continued to write and worked at a nursery school.
In 1983, her first children’s book, Angelina Ballerina, was published. Holabird’s son, Adam, was her inspiration for the character Henry, and Angelina’s character was inspired by her daughters’ love for dressing up and dancing. Holabird wrote the first draft of Angelina Ballerina at the kitchen table with her daughters dancing around her. In fact, the Angelina books were originally about a girl, but then Craig drew a mouse, and Holabird loved it. “The impulsive character of Angelina came alive,” says Holabird, “and seemed to pirouette off the page with enthusiasm and energy, while her plump and ebullient body expressed drama and attitude in every twitch of her tail.” Angelina is a very emotional character; she is sensitive and often bursts into tears right before offering an apology. She struggles with her conscience but always ends up doing the right thing—which is very familiar to many young children. The universal childhood themes in Angelina include friendship, jealousy, loyalty, & dedication. Holabird’s goal was to realistically portray the difficulties of growing up. According to Holabird, it is a ballerina book for “all the passionate little dancers and performers in the world,” including her own two daughters, which is why she “decided to explore the impulsive, highly emotional character of a small but determined ballerina.”
The first American edition of Angelina Ballerina was published in 1984. A year later, Holabird received the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for Angelina Ballerina. In 1986 and 1987, she received the ALA Notable Book Awards. Angelina’s Christmas was selected as Child Study Association’s Children’s Book of the Year in 1987. The following year, Holabird and Craig published Alexander and the Dragon, their first Alexander book; it is aimed at preschool children who want to be consoled about bedtime monsters. In 1990, Holabird wrote the Alexander sequel, Alexander and the Magic Boat, which portrays a strong mother/son relationship while the two go on a voyage to imaginary worlds. Also in 1990, Holabird received the British Book Design and Production award.
In 1999, HIT Entertainment in London (known for Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, and Barney) secured the rights for Angelina Ballerina and commissioned Grand Slamm Children's Films to make an animated TV pilot. HIT also developed a lot of Angelina merchandise. Angelina made her worldwide television debut in 2001 on CITV in the United Kingdom. In 2002, the Angelina series premiered on PBS Kids TV in the United States. Angelina Ballerina’s Invitation to the Ballet received the prestigious Oppenheim Platinum Award in the U.S. in 2004. That same year, Angelina was named the official spokesperson of National Dance Week in the United States. In 2005, Angelina made her debut on PBS Kids Sprout, a twenty-four-hour digital television channel for preschoolers in the U.S.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Read
June 28, 2023See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/best-b...
BEST BIG SISTER EVER! is a charming new Angelina Ballerina chapter book about the first day of school and sisterhood. Angelina and Polly are both about to have their first day of school. While Angelina cannot wait to get back to class and her friends, Polly is feeling very shy and nervous about starting at preschool for the first time. As they both begin their days, Polly is struggling, but she luckily sees Angelina on the playground, who helps her to learn to make friends and puts on a ballet for her class to help make her first day very special.
What I loved: This was an overall really sweet story about sisters and the first day of school. While some children will be excited to begin school like Angelina, others will feel very nervous and shy like Polly, which will resonate with young readers. Even if they are not nervous, they can definitely remember how it feels to have it all be new. The connection between the sisters really comes across in the story as each chapter bounces between what they are doing with their day at school. With a little bit of love and attention, Angelina makes Polly's first day into something really special.
The font is large and clear throughout, which will help early chapter book readers. Illustrations appear on each page spread in black and white, which helps to bring the story to life. While some spreads are vastly words, there are others with larger pictures to help take up the space. This will work best for children who are really gaining confidence in reading but still love to see what is happening along the way. The illustrations are in the typical, detailed Angelina style, which is great for fans.
What left me wanting more: As a small thing, it would have been helpful to see a bit more connection between the sisters at key points. As the book is currently, their conversations are very brief and without more specific tips or discussions, but this does keep it very light and happy overall.
Final verdict: BEST BIG SISTER EVER! is a charming Angelina Ballerina chapter book about the first day of school and sisterhood. Recommend for children who are gaining confidence with reading but still enjoy illustrated chapter book reads.
Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.
BEST BIG SISTER EVER! is a charming new Angelina Ballerina chapter book about the first day of school and sisterhood. Angelina and Polly are both about to have their first day of school. While Angelina cannot wait to get back to class and her friends, Polly is feeling very shy and nervous about starting at preschool for the first time. As they both begin their days, Polly is struggling, but she luckily sees Angelina on the playground, who helps her to learn to make friends and puts on a ballet for her class to help make her first day very special.
What I loved: This was an overall really sweet story about sisters and the first day of school. While some children will be excited to begin school like Angelina, others will feel very nervous and shy like Polly, which will resonate with young readers. Even if they are not nervous, they can definitely remember how it feels to have it all be new. The connection between the sisters really comes across in the story as each chapter bounces between what they are doing with their day at school. With a little bit of love and attention, Angelina makes Polly's first day into something really special.
The font is large and clear throughout, which will help early chapter book readers. Illustrations appear on each page spread in black and white, which helps to bring the story to life. While some spreads are vastly words, there are others with larger pictures to help take up the space. This will work best for children who are really gaining confidence in reading but still love to see what is happening along the way. The illustrations are in the typical, detailed Angelina style, which is great for fans.
What left me wanting more: As a small thing, it would have been helpful to see a bit more connection between the sisters at key points. As the book is currently, their conversations are very brief and without more specific tips or discussions, but this does keep it very light and happy overall.
Final verdict: BEST BIG SISTER EVER! is a charming Angelina Ballerina chapter book about the first day of school and sisterhood. Recommend for children who are gaining confidence with reading but still enjoy illustrated chapter book reads.
Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.
July 10, 2023
So precious! This is a perfect early chapter book for your newer readers.
May 15, 2024
Read aloud with Lucy 👏🏻👏🏻
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews