On Your Toes: A Ballet ABC

by Rachel Isadora

A Ballet Company dances ... across the pages of this sparkling picture book, inviting you behind the scenes and illuminating ballet terms from A to Z. A Ballet Company dances ... for the very youngest of dancers as well as for ballet fans of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 2003

About the author

Rachel Isadora is an award-winning children's author and illustrator. She has written children's books on multiple topics including ballet, life in America and Africa, and has illustrated several Brother Grimm tales in an African setting. She is most well-known for her Caldecott Honor Award book "Ben's Trumpet". She was a ballet dancer before she became an illustrator and children's writer.

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. This book was more about the pictures than the words. Each page was one simple word. It was a nice ABC book but most ballet interested toddlers learning ABCs wouldn't be all that interested in the words. This seems too simple for a little older child learning dance terminology. The pictures were beautiful though. It was a good read from the library.

[Barbara Vaughn]

This is a great book to read to your little ones about the alphabets using words of ballet. You will see a little girl dancing or a little boy dancing in a form of ballet. This is a text-to-Self connection. I remember dancing in for a play at my school one year when I was little in the kindergarten and later I did spiritual dancing for the church. Now my little girl love dancing herself and she loves ballet.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ballet company's dancers share ballet terms. The illustrations are beautiful, colorful, and utilizes lines in a way that focuses the reader's attention. Well done.

[GlitterWater79 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel Isadora is a picture book illustrator whose work I always enjoy, my favorite being her drawing for Patricia McKissack’s “Flossie and the Fox.” The work here is so gorgeous and sophisticated but still kid centered. I also loved the glossary at the end which teaches so much about ballet. Would have liked more back matter about ballet generally to help with bringing this book into classrooms or to develop an activity or craft to go along with it. Enjoyed it very much.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ABC book focused on ballet. Although it is a picture book I expected to see/learn more terms common just to ballet, but it includes illustrations of theater terms and characters. Saw only eight terms related to ballet steps and positions. Full page illustrations. Glossary of all the terms illustrated in the title.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids love ballet. My kids love alphabet books. The artwork is beautiful.

[Heidi Kuipers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice illustrations, only 26 words

[Abigail Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast pace ABC book about ballet. This book would be great for kids who are interested in dancing.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My five-year-old son picked this book from the library this week. He loves ABC books, and he is fascinated by ballet -- I am fine with both of those interests.

Um, I studied ballet and I have some problems with this book. A through D were fine. I was even OK with the E for En Pointe because the dancer in the illustration looked over the age of twelve by the leg development. I was not OK with F -- the girl looked about seven and she was en pointe, and I was not OK with M -- that girl looked about five and the makeup, even for stage, was a bit disturbing. The rest of this book was nothing special. It could have been better if some of the terms were explained for those who would be interested in ballet. And the illustrations should have been more age-appropriate for the terms used.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

CIP: Each letter of the alphabet is represented by an illustration of a ballet-related word.

Review: The stylistic illustrations will delight any little ballerina with it's dance related words and pictures. A lovely look at the alphabet through the world of dance. (A note that my 13-year-old ballerina friend's only criticism of it was that they should have used something for the letter Y besides yarn, but when I asked if she could think of anything else that would have worked she had to say no.)

SLJ says: "This lovely book provides a dreamy look at the world of ballet."
Booklist says: "Isadora offers a captivating alphabet book..."

[Moriah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an excellent example of an ABC book. It uses the topic of ballet and has interesting illustrations. The book uses phrases that might be difficult for students to read/pronounce because ballet terms are in French. The illustrations add an interesting addition to this alphabet book and allows the readers to get an idea of the ballet phrases they probably will no understand otherwise unless they speak French or are in dance classes.

[Sonia · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first, thought it was a chapter book but when i saw it, it was a picture book with 1 word on each page. It was the Ballt ABC'S and it says right there beside the cover. It had a letter 'A' with a word beside the letter that has got to do with ballet and 'B' on the next page and so on.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully done. Includes 26 dance/theatre terms to coincide with each letter of the alphabet. The artwork is lovely and includes pictures of both boy and girl dancers/performers. Concludes with a helpful glossary.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another ABC book, its theme is Ballet. My daughter (4) LOVES this book. She adores ballet and loves the alphabet, for her this book was awesome overload! Even my son (5) enjoyed this book. He was surprised and delighted to see that even boys cold be ballerinas. We loved this book.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for any ballet lover but particularly any boy or girl who is studying it.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so beautiful. If I had the appropriate place to put them, I'd frame every single letter.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked at random and was a bit technical I thought but I do not have a background in ballet.
Beautiful illustrations

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

EA loved this and has it memorized.