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Angelina Ballerina
Angelina and the Rag Doll
Angelina is feeling very grown-up. Miss Lilly has asked her to help out in the beginners’ ballet class. So Angelina gives away her babyish toys, including the little rag doll she’s had since she was a tiny mouseling. But what happens when Angelina starts missing her doll? Is it too late to get her back?
24 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2002
About the author
Katharine Holabird
290 books82 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
April 15, 2021
Angelina and the Rag Doll is such a cute story. Angelina goes to the store and there is a box of secondhand things that the shop owner will be giving away. Angelina goes home and finds several things she can put into the box, including her rag doll Polka. One day her grandparents come home and remind her that they had won Polka for her at a fair. Angelina freaks out and tries to go find Polka, which she din't find her. She gives up. She starts helping teach ballet lessons and one of the ballerinas has her beloved rag doll Polka. Instead of getting upset she helps shy little Mary get more into ballet class. Mary names Polka Angelina and Angelina is honored. Angelina's grandparents were very proud of what she did for Mary. This book is such a great lesson for children that sometimes things get messed up but they always end up okay.
February 24, 2018
such nostalgia
September 7, 2019
It was a sweet book - no Earth-shattering plot, but we all love Angelina, the pictures are so nice :)
January 9, 2026
Angelina donates a toy that she had loved as a chil and that she had promised to keep. Then she decides that the new recipient needs it more, and she confesses that she had donated it. Her grandparents are proud of her (for her honesty? generosity? something else?) and things are OK.
I think the plot is a pretty good one for children. I wish there was slightly more to the story.
I think the plot is a pretty good one for children. I wish there was slightly more to the story.
November 22, 2022
sweet little story--love the illustrations
December 22, 2015
This is a good story that teaches about generosity, forgiveness, and kindness. When Angelina donates her old rag doll, she forgets that her Grandfather won it for her at the fair. She tries to get it back, but when she sees how much a little mouse needs it, she realizes that she must let it go. And my favorite part is that she tells her Grandfather the truth about what happened and he didn't get upset. I'm forever telling our girls that it's better to tell the truth and that they will get in far less trouble if they do. I hope it sinks in; stories like this demonstrate the principle well.
May 4, 2015
Read this to my 5-year-old. Angelina learns a good lesson about sharing and letting things go.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews