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Angelina Ballerina
Angelina's Ballet Class
Accompanied by an adorable flip book that allows Angelina to dance gracefully through the pages, a charming book invites little girls to join Angelina as she does her stretches, positions, and steps in ballet class. Reissue.
24 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2001
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About the author
Katharine Holabird
290 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.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 22, 2025
Inspired by Hayden’s status update that “all books count” I decided to put some eyes to paper. First off I’d like to state that Miss Lily’s ballet class would be a ball. Oh how I would’ve loved a childhood like that had I been lucky enough to be a European mouse in my youth. The cousin Henry disrespect was angering initially but the author wrote up a fantastic resolution and way for the characters to move forward. Really a great piece of literature although quite differing from my usual realm of books. Can’t say Isaac isn’t open minded anymore now can ya? Enjoy the snow day ladies and gents
November 18, 2024
I love this because it's Angelina Ballerina, and because there are perforated pages in the back for making a flip book, but...as an adult I cringe at the way significant stretching is encouraged before warm-up. I think a bit of tweaking from a ballet teacher would have gone a long way in this book! Hopefully children will try gently and enjoy imagining ballet class, and children with even a little bit of experience will like reliving their classes with this book. But I just can't get over the potential for injury if things were done the way they happen in this book. I sound like an old over-cautious grouch, but the risks are real--supervise and be safe. Rosie's Ballet Slippers by Susan Hampshire presents a more realistic and safe vision of a ballet class, though the characters are children and not mice!
July 14, 2023
While there are some great aspects to this book which gives a few insights into the basics of ballet, I get so annoyed with Angelina books, mostly in regards to how little Henry is shown. Angelina is very full of herself, which spoils a lot of these stories. There are much better books in this series, especially in the earliest books. The later ones, like this one, are okay, but really not worth hunting down unless your child really is a superfan.
October 27, 2019
This is okay but annoying that it doesn't show boys doing ballet in a more positive light.
June 1, 2019
Anniina Balleriina -ohjelma on ollut molempien lapsieni suosikki, joten Anniina-kirjat ovat myös suuressa suosiossa meillä. Tämän kuvakirjan olen aikoinaan lukenut esikoiselle moneen otteeseen ja nyt kuopusta kiinnostaa kovasti ballerinat.
Tässä kuvakirjassa yhdistyy hienosti tarina, eläinhahmot ja tanssin teoria.
Tässä kuvakirjassa yhdistyy hienosti tarina, eläinhahmot ja tanssin teoria.
April 29, 2009
Angelina shows how her ballet class is run. The book also teaches basic terms and positions in ballet.
October 24, 2013
lead to one of the most reminiscent cartoons on tv... a great inspiration for young girls
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews