A Day in the Life of a Dancer

by Linda Hayward

This Level 1 book is appropriate for children who are just beginning to read. Lisa Torres practices for her starring role in the ballet. Oops! An accident! Will Lisa make it through the show? This unique Level 1 series accurately portrays real-life situations that help young children identify with and learn from while helping them improve their reading skills. Presented in classic DK style, young readers will enjoy photographically illustrated information in an entertaining package. For children who are just beginning to read and who have a limited vocabulary, these 32-page Level 1 books-about everything from tadpoles to puppies-use word repetition and simple sentences to convey meaning. Picture dictionary boxes with word labels "show" the meanings of words. These books contain between 400 and 450 words each, and they are 80 percent pictures and 20 percent text. The Dorling Kindersley Readers combine an enticing visual layout with high-interest, easy-to-read stories to captivate and delight young bookworms who are just getting started. Written by leading children's authors and compiled in consultation with literacy experts, these engaging books build reader confidence along with a lifelong appreciation for nonfiction, classic stories, and biographies. There is a DK Reader to interest every child at every level, from preschool to grade 4.

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Linda was born in California’s Central Valley, but raised and schooled in south Alabama, during the turbulent 1960’s. Married to her high school sweetheart, she and Tom have two grandchildren, Georgia and Joshua, who give her plenty of ideas for writing children’s stories.

Her first book in the series, “Marshall Visit’s the Hospital,” Marshall leads children around a sometimes scary world, showing them there’s nothing to be afraid of in instances of doctor visits or the possibilities of staying in a hospital. In subsequent books, Marshall will show there are responsibilities to be met as a contributor to the family: caring for pets, helping others, volunteering one’s time, and even accepting a new baby into the household. It is hoped that Marshall will teach children about their world in a fun and entertaining way. The reality is, they may at sometime need to protect themselves against strangers and bullies. Marshall is here to help build their self-confidence and not make them afraid to stand up for themselves.

Marshall, will also teach the importance of staying healthy and seeing the fun in fitness.

It is Linda’s hope that children from the ages three to eight can relate and benefit from Marshall and his friend’s experiences.

Her first in a series, MARSHALL VISITS the HOSPITAL, was published and released in October 2008. Linda has worked in childcare development and has been a teacher’s assistant to first graders. She has written several short stories, for Ben Romero’s book, CHICKEN FLUFF AND OTHER STUFF, and for author, Janice Stevens’ anthology, STORIES OF SERVICE. She is currently working on a history project for the Clovis Unified School District, to be published and released in 2009.

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library and Read it for my son. This book is very informative. We learn some new ballet terms. It's a good glimpse into the life of a dancer. I highly recommend it for everyone. A little knowledge in different areas is useful in the long run :-)

[Sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Day in the Life of a Dancer
Author: Linda Hayward
Illustrator:
Date of Publication:
Award:
Genre: Non Fiction/Informational
Summary: A simple book outlining the art form, discipline and tools of being a ballerina.
Evaluative Commentary: The author is a president of the Reading Conference and a past member of National Reading Conference. This book is part of a Dorling Kindersleyp Readers which is a program designed for developing literacy. There is a list of other Dorling Kindersely Readers divided by the four levels. Great pictures! This is a level one book appropriate for emergent readers as it has word repetition, limited vocabulary and simple sentences. It also includes picture dictionary boxes to aid comprehension.

Discussion Questions:
Why is it important for Lisa to warm up before class?
Do you play a sport? What do you do to warm up?
Do only girls do ballet?
Why is it important to practice over and over again?
What part of the foot do ballerina's balance on?
What is a pirouette?
What language does ballet use? (would need some additional examples).
What is a solo?
How does Lisa, the ballerina take care of her point shoes?
What is a tutu?
Why do ballerinas wear make up?
Why must dancers be careful when they dance? ( can be a conversation about injury prevention).
What is the role of music in ballet? Would dancing be as fun without the music?
Pick your favorite picture from the book? Descibe why you chose it? What does the picture tell us about ballet?
What does it mean when the audience says “Bravo”?
How do ballerina's end their performance?

Comprehension Strategy: Level I Beging to read. Can be part of a unit on occupations, hobbies or fitness. I would imagine girls would be more interested in the book (since more girls are enrolled in ballet classes). Can be a guided reading group or independent reading activity. Great book for reviewing learning how to read the time and idea of a daily schedule. Vocab: Leotard, leg warmers, ballet company, locker room, toe shoes, back stage.

Extension activity: Can also read Angelina Ballerina read aloud.
Write out and illustrate your own daily schedule.
Make a list of what a ballerina needs to put in her dance bag to be prepared for the day. (introduction in to list making).
There are some amazing documentary videos/ books on how ballet shoes are created.
Design your own ballerina costume.
Practice your own special bow (kinesthetic) brain break physical activity

Electronic resource:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rryxZj... a video of a day in of a ballerina.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally like DK books.

They're simple. They're informative. They're cheap. If your child is too young to read, they're perfectly good read-aloud books.

What more can you ask for when stocking your kid's library?

This is not one of my favorites. The pictures are a little too obviously posed and I feel the text is a little *too* simple, that it talks down to kids.

If your child is very interested in dance, go for it, but otherwise I think this one can be skipped.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for beginning readers. It's a bit long, but you can read it at one sitting. The story incorporates basic information about what ballet dancers do as well as the concept of time, using different clock times to illustrate what Lisa the ballet dancer is doing. There's action, suspense, colorful photographs and enough new vocabulary words to challenge young readers without frustrating them too much. Our oldest was able to read this without much help.