Welcome to Ballet School: written by a professional ballerina

by Ashley Bouder, Julia Bereciartu (Illustrator)

"Through it all, “Welcome” takes ballet seriously. Bouder explains ballet terminology with diagrams that resemble those in a training manual. (My younger self would have eaten it up.) She also moves beyond steps to the heart of dancing." —  The New York Times

“A detailed and practical title for those interested in learning about ballet or to engage young readers in movement during story time” –  School Library Journal

Welcome to your first day at ballet school! Put on your ballet shoes and let’s master your basics with author and New York City Ballet principal Ashley Bouder. Learn five basic lessons, then visit the costume room, before putting on your very own show of Sleeping Beauty at the end.

There's no admissions policy to our Ballet School. Whether you are already learning ballet, or thinking about starting, this class is for you. Learn your plié s, first positions, jetés , pirouettes , and grand battements .

But what happens if you fall? How do you stretch and look after your body? How do you get ready for class? No worries—it's all answered in this book from professional ballerina Ashley Bouder .

Then go on to learn the characters and interpretations of Sleeping Beauty —taught in an inclusive way so anyone can dance the parts they want to. A helpful glossary at the back provides a review of ballet terms .

Tutus are optional.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Sports

64 pages, Hardcover

Published August 4, 2020

Reviews

[Karol]

We had a lot of fun with this one.

Excellent resource to introduce ballet class to children. The illustrations encourage children to try different ballet techniques as they read.
Includes a Glossary of terms.

[Briar's Reviews]

Ah, a book about ballet and sports written by a expert in the field (a principal ballerina)! Isn't that so exciting? I know I was pumped reading that in the foreword of this book.

This was quite the throwback to my childhood when I did ballet. Jumping back into ballet and seeing the first, second, third, fourth and fifth positions brought back so many lovely memories. I can easily see young readers loving this book and wanting to do ballet. This felt like an adorable way to introduce ballet and make it fun for young readers.

The illustrations are also adorable and colourful. I highly recommend this for educators and parents who want a sport book that's loads of fun and educational.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

[Bandita]

This book is very informative and young kids will be benefitted from this book. The illustrations are amazing!

[Yadira Bing ❤️]

First of all, thank you very much to NetGalley for the copy to make the review.


The edition (I have read it digitally) is beautiful. At first sight it looks like just another illustrated story for kids. The truth is that everyone can enjoy the book, regardless of age. The fact of finding very different dancers among the students has enchanted me. It seems to me of utmost importance to introduce multicultural dancers to books that are mainly dedicated to children.

In this book we can find different ways to create a dance, movements, positions and many other things related to ballet. It is a perfect book for someone who is starting out in the world of ballet.

[Angela Franco]

I read this book thanks to NetGalley, they provided me a copy for an honest review.
I'm not sure about this book, I was very excited to read this book, because of the cover, the illustrations, and the author. But I think it has a lot of information for a little girl, maybe a young girl with some training will enjoy the most.
Maybe is missing the infant component, more play, and an approach to the kid's world of dance. Otherwise, I really liked the reading, I'm still believing the illustrations are lovely and the book has great potential for people like me with a knowledge of dance and deep love for kids' books.

[Kate Penner]

I absolutely loved this book. A illustration-centered book, this walks a reader of any age through a ballet class. The basic positions of the legs and arms as well as some of the steps are featured. It would be great for a young dancer or a parent/guardian with a ballet-interested child to read together.
Growing up, I had a similar ballet positions book, but it didn't depict any diversity like this one. The illustrations are gorgeous and the number of different young people featured is a huge draw. All the dancers get to depict fairies and princes and there is a fun exploration of The Sleeping Beauty as well. This book easily translates to an activity of dance exploration that everyone can be involved in. Cannot more highly recommend, pandemic or not!

[Kayla]

This is a great book for your little one who is interested in ballet. There are many technical terms, and drawings to match. This would be great for a little dancer wanting to learn more about ballet. The book describes a group of novice ballet students arriving on their first day and practicing to prepare for a dance of Sleeping Beauty. I enjoyed that this book spoke more into the art of ballet, and I also appreciated the different genders and races included so that various children would be able to see themselves in this story.

I did feel it was a little lacking in the story element, due to it being more technical.

I was provided an e-arc in exchange for honest review.

[Leslie]

Thanks to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the digital review copy.

Welcome to ballet school is basically year one of ballet training in a cute, illustrated book. I was classically trained for twelve years, and I even learned a thing or two. As a young ballerina, we learned the French terms and what you were supposed to do when you hear them, but we didn’t always go over their direct translations, at least not that I can remember, so seeing a few new things in a sea of nostalgia was actually really cool.

I would recommend using this book as a training tool for teaching kids something new, rather than as a go-to for storytime. It’s intense in a good way, but it’s not designed to read through in one sitting. I would get the most enjoyment out of maybe on page per day and then having kiddos follow the instructions, and bonus points for doing it with them, like taking a day to learn the five positions, and another day for the barre exercises.

There’s a lot of absorb in this book, and it holds great “replay value” for those of us who are gaming nerds. You will be able to revisit again and again and help your children learn the basics of ballet. After all, ballet is for everyone, tall or short, large or small, young or old, everyone can benefit from learning and practicing ballet.

This one's out on August 4th, just in time for the new ballet school year, so keep an eye out for it.

[Wendy]

This is a beautiful book that is an introduction to ballet. It begins with a kind teacher and a diverse group of students. They learn about the clothing/costumes, positions, and vocabulary terms. A ballerina joins the class to teach them about the Sleeping Beauty ballet. The children are encouraged to choose a favorite costume for a show for parents.

The illustrations are wonderfully done. Each position is explained in kid friendly terms with diagrams. There is a glossary to refer to for definitions.

I would recommend this book for units on performance arts or for a student who wants to learn more about the ballet.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Verity W]

***Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****

This is a charming and beautifully illustrated book for children learning ballet. It's probably one kids taking classes to dip into alongside their lessons, because I think it would be a bit much otherwise. It starts with a section on the different positions, which as they get more complicated you probably need a bit of knowledge to know what you're meant to be doing. And it could also prompt some structured play and learning with the story at the end.

[Alexis]

This book is adorable and will surely be a hit with any young dancer. Visually appealing illustrations take readers through an introduction to ballet class: what to wear, the basic positions of feet and arms, jumps, turns and much more. The latter half of the book envelopes the reader in the classic “Sleeping Beauty” and beautifully shows children how to make the story come alive through dance. The opportunity to turn the reading process into an interactive experience through dance will be a huge hit with children in the intended age range. As a non-fiction read about Ballet (coming right from the source of a principal dancer!) this book shines.

Even better though, are the subtleties in the illustrations and presentation of the students. Not only are the students ethnically and racially diverse, the book integrates dancers of all genders into all parts of the Sleeping Beauty ballet. Boys sometimes wear tutus and learn to dance as fairies, girls wear prince costumes and dress as woodland creatures. While it isn't the focus of the book, exposing children to the idea that dance is for everyone, in any capacity they chose, deeply enriches this introduction to dance.

[Lupe]

I am not sure about this book. It is very informative and the illustrations are beautiful but I do not know many children who would read the entire book. It reads like an elementary textbook with lots of information, vocabulary, and diagrams. I think most of my elementary students would bypass it. It would be the perfect gift for a dance school student. I do, however, really appreciate the inclusive nature of the book - boys and girls, with all different colors and names. I read the digital copy provided by NetGalley.

[Marte]

This is a really nice book that features key moves and terms from ballet in a way that is easy to understand. I love how well made the illustrations work to back them up, and that this both have a story but also works as a manual on how to start doing ballet! Really good representation too!

[Joey-Susan]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Quarto Frances Lincoln books for the e-arc copy to read and review.

What a sweet book teaching children all about the ballet positions and moves, how to perform those moves in different ways to create a dance. I loved that it was so illustrated to show literally everything that a budding Ballerina needs to learn, in a step by step guide. It was laid out perfectly and went into so much detail.

This is a great book to help a young dancer learn from, it even teaches them how to dance a lot of Sleeping Beauty which is wonderful. It’s easy to read, it’s got beautiful illustrations, teaches so much and is easy to follow.

[joyce w. laudon]

This charmingly illustrated book for children is written by a ballerina which lends it authenticity.  With multicultural students, the ballet teacher introduces them to dance. 


This book is packed with information.  The five positions, arm movements, twirls and more are all described and tried by the children.  They even learn about the author's favorite ballet, Sleeping Beauty.


This book for young students will give them lots to practice.  Hopefully, it will encourage a fun love of dance.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Maria Andreina]

This is a beautifully illustrated book that young ballet enthusiasts will love!

Not only the illustrations are beautiful, but the characters are quite diverse. The book is well-written and I believe kids interested in learning ballet or starting to take ballet lessons would find it quite useful and entertaining. There are a lot of very specific descriptions about the five positions and how to combine them.

The book starts kind of like a story book, but it isn't. It doesn't fly as story and it makes a terrible bed time book. It has a lot of text and it's too factual. On the other hand, it is quite fun to use it for play time! You can read the descriptions, look at the pictures, and get your kid to try the positions. It's probably even better for kids who already know how to read so they can try things on their own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Jo Oehrlein]

A long picture book that walks a diverse group of kids through an intro ballet class (positions of legs and arms, barre exercises and center exercises) before walking them through the story of Sleeping Beauty (as a ballet) and a performance for their families.

It's a long book, so hard as a read aloud to go all the way through in one go.
It does a good job of telling Sleeping Beauty, especially things that people would ONLY know from the ballet (like the characters at the wedding).

[Jessica Zannini]

This is a topic that we never have enough for avid readers. This is one that will be a great read aloud and one that fans of ballet will be excited to read.

[Nanny B]

Great book for a child considering ballet.