Ballet Kitty

Ballet Kitty

by Bernette G. Ford, Sam Williams (Illustrator)

Ballet Kitty wakes up in the pink—ballerina pink, of course—until she realizes she can’t find her slippers anywhere. Suddenly her leaps aren’t as lighthearted or her pirouettes as pretty. Where could they be? she mumbles and grumbles. How can she dance in her clunky old sneakers? But very quickly Kitty discovers that as long as she’s doing her most perfect plies and cutest curtsies, she’ll always be happy…right from her head to the tips of her little pointed toes!
Bernette Ford’s delightful dance-loving story and Sam Williams’s charming pas de deux of pussycats will inspire every little ballerina!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Bernette G. Ford was an American author, editor and publisher. She worked as editor-in-chief at Grosset & Dunlap and later Scholastic Books, where she was vice-president of the Cartwheel imprint, which she helped launch. She was the co-author of the groundbreaking bestseller Bright Eyes, Brown Skin, along with the bestselling Ballet Kitty series, No More Diapers for Ducky, and First Snow.

Reviews

[Yasmin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and pointless.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I would give this book zero stars if it was an option. The book seems innocent enough about a kitty ballerina who likes wearing matching pink clothes, however a few statements in the book send HORRIBLE messages to little girls. In one part she can not find her pink ballet slippers so she must wear her "ugly old sneakers," leaving her grumpy. It goes on to say that "she did not feel happy! She did not look pretty!".... this is a direct quote from the book. To say that a little kitty/girl does not LOOK PRETTY because she is wearing "ugly old sneakers," not only sends a horrible message to girls, but this book came from a library at an inner city school where many children do not have the opportunity to access anything other than "ugly old sneakers." Calling ANYONE ugly due to the shoes one wears is a disgusting message to be teaching little children, let alone teaching children that the clothes they wear has anything to do with their physical appearance is unacceptable. DEFINITELY NOT a book I will be reading to my girls again (who are lucky enough to get new shoes, though some of their friends are not.) My children are being taught that it's what is inside that makes a person beautiful.. NOT the clothes they wear..

[Chinook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to our lovely librarian, Kait found some ballet books, since she’s presently all about ballet. I liked that this one also involved the message of enjoying yourself even if things don’t go completely to plan.

[Stacy Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book about having fun even when things don't go exactly as planned. Easy read for kids.

[Maria Marinella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice easy read and relatable if you have a younger ballet obsessed child.

[Haley Capri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most important piece of literature I’ve ever read. This book needs to be taught in a high level university course.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story.

[Adria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ballet Kitty is cute story about a kitty who will soon receive a visit from her best friend, Pussycat. Pussycat is coming over so they can practice ballet. There is one problem: Kitty cannot find her ballet shoes! She is very upset and believes she will not have fun unless she finds her shoes! However, once her pal arrives they laugh, play and dance. Kitty forgets all about her missing ballet shoes until she remembers where they are: under her nightstand-right where she left them!

Ballet Kitty is a book I would highly recommend to any little person interested in dance/ballet. This writing stood out to me as the author was able to create the character of Kitty very well. Fletcher (2013) talks about creating a character by being mindful of his/her quirks, emotions, etc. (p.57). The author creates an approachable character as most people can relate to losing something, being really (maybe even a little too) upset about it, then finding what you lost-right where you left it. If I were to use this book to teach writing, I would ask a student to relate with his own experiences with losing something. I would ask him to think of another thing, like losing something, that most people could relate to. He could use his own emotions and impose them within a character.

[Bonnie Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 2-year-old son grabbed this book off a a cart at the library because of the cat on the front cover. It's about a ballerina kitty who loses her ballet shoes just before her playdate with princess pussycat and has to wear her sneakers instead. I thought the writing was a bit weak, and I was a bit iffy on the huge emphasis about Ballet Kitty being "pretty" (there was a LOT of talk about prettiness- from how cute and pink she was the moment she woke up, to how she stopped being so cute when went pale because she was mad about her missing shoes, to how ugly her pink sneakers were- I wouldn't have minded so much if she'd been distraught about the missing shoes because ballerinas can't dance in sneakers, but all the "pretty" and "cute" stuff kind of rubbed me the wrong way). In the end, though, I thought the overall message of the book was pretty good- that you can still have a good time playing, even if everything doesn't go exactly the way that you want it to- and since L loves cats, and he loves dancing, he actually enjoyed the book.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

School Library Journal (November 1, 2007)

PreS-Gr 1-Ballet Kitty is preparing for her playdate with her friend Princess Pussycat. It should be a time of joy, but Kitty is distressed because she cannot find her pink ballet slippers and will have to play in her yucky, dirty pink sneakers instead. Despite this hindrance, the day is great fun, and the missing ballet slippers are found "just where she had left them the night before!" The back cover states that this book is "For little ballerinas everywhere," and there is absolutely no attempt to appeal to any other sort of reader. Pink permeates the simple, cutesy illustrations and the text is more than a tad treacly. That said, the book will be a huge hit with its intended audience of little girls who admire a pretty package. A purely supplemental purchase.-Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

[Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the few "must have" books my little girl had to have from the book fair. It's pink, has a kitty, and a ballet dancing kitty at that. It wasn't hard for her to make up her mind with this book. What a cute, really fun, and engaging story it is. Ballet Kitty is getting ready for her perfect playdate with her friend. In order to have that perfect playdate Ballet Kitty has to have her ballet slippers, which she can not find to any avail.

What I loved about this story is that it shows kids that it doesn't matter what clothes you have or toys you do or don't have. Those things don't make the perfect playdates, it's being a good friend that does. What my daughter loved, that it has a lot of pink, kitties, dancing, a tea party and playdate in it. I would recommend this book. It's a great story with a wonderful message and has some simply adorable illustrations to match!

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so sweet! My three-year-old LOVES it. She has it memorized so she "reads" it to me as we turn the pages.

Ballet Kitty wants to get dressed for a playdate but can't find her ballet slippers, doesn't think she'll have fun without them, has a blast regardless, and then finds them when the playdate is finished.

I love the message here--things can be just fine even when they don't go exactly as planned.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

must...find...way...to use...this...book! Oh my gosh, it's adorable. I checked it out cause I though, kitty, ballet, how can it not be cute? There's this one illustration where she's yelling for her mom, and another with one tear rolling down her cheek...there are not words to describe how cute it is.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not bad. Feels more like "a girl book" with all the pink and ballet and princess. But I do have girls in preschool. And I know some of them like pink and such. I suppose if I put some inflection in the reading, then all of the kids might enjoy it whether or not it's a subject they enjoy. And if I balance it with more of "a boy book," then it would be pretty good.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so relevant to my 3-yr-old daughter. She doesn't take dance or have a ballet costume, but she often misplaces her shoes and has to wear a pair she doesn't like as much. And of course, they always turn up where she last left them! Good for her to know she's not alone and see how Kitty handles the situation.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect book for Natalie. It has kitties, ballerinas, princesses, pink, tea party, pretend play, dress up, and the exact kind of over dramatic temper she has right now. It was a perfect fit she wanted to hear over and over, and in between reads she often said her nose and ears were pink when she felt happy.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the quintessential book for my 2.5 year old daughter who loves dress up (especially shoes), pretending, friends, tea parties, princesses, and ballet dancing. The simple story line is so well written that I don't mind reading it over and over.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars from my 2.5 yo "ballerina" daughter. If your daughter likes ballet & kittys...this will be a true winner. Note of caution - she will definitely ask for a pair of ballet shoes after this book if she doesn't already have them!!

[Carly Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute book for young children, especially some little girls I know. This could be used to talk about some new vocabulary such as ballet slippers, grumbled, pliés, curtsies, and pirouettes. I could even showed the children examples.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My little 3 year old girl loves pink, she loves cats, and she loves ballet. She loves this book. My 5 year old son also enjoyed this book, but not as much as his sister. This story really captures my little girl.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute pictures, weak story. kitty forgets her ballet slippers and has to wear her sneakers but then finds slippers right where she left them. ???

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's just too pink and kitties and ballerina for me...it's like a picture book made specifically for Missy from Welcome to the Dollhouse.

[Henry&Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, not a fan. Lily on the other hand LOVED it! Kitties, ballet, pink...perfect book for her. Three stars to even it out.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about my daughter. We wanted a tom boy, but we got a girl who likes pink, princesses, picnics, and pirouetting. Oh yes, and she also likes pussycats.

[Bianca Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new book I received for Christmas from a great Aunt and I'm already obsessed! I randomly quote this book to mommy throughout the day... "Where are my Ballet slippers?"

[Yelena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids loved it.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little book about a dancing kitty, her play date, and a pair of ballet slippers. My 5 old loved it.

[Janell · Rating 5 out of 5]

my daughter loves this book because she loves pink and she loves ballet!