What do you think?
Rate this book
Honk!
A ballet-loving swan wins acclaim when she manages to join the other dancers in a performance of Swan Lake.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
About the author
Pamela Duncan Edwards
61 books22 followersPamela Duncan Edwards is a British-born children's author living in the United States. She has written over forty picture books published in both the U.S. and the U.K., known for their playful language and engaging storytelling.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 28, 2025
One of the sweetest gifts a friend can give me is a book that reminded them of me. It shows that they know me well, that they were thinking of me, and that they care enough about my interests to recommend good media to me. A dear friend and coworker of mine (who was on the verge of retiring) gifted me with Honk! The Story of a Prima Swanerina, and I almost cried because of how perfectly it suited me. With gorgeous illustrations, a humorous story, and ballet elements throughout, this is the kind of book I would have been obsessed with as a child.
Mimi Swan, a beautiful white swan who lives on the Seine River, has been fascinated with ballet ever since she saw a production at the Paris Opera House, and she drives her fellow river creatures crazy with her constant practice in hopes of one day being able to join the ballet company. When Mimi learns that a new production has come to the opera house — one that involves lots of feathers — she becomes determined to join the ballet company and perform in Swan Lake, but the irritable opera house manager is determined to keep her from entering. Mimi, however, is not easily dissuaded, and she must call upon every trick in her arsenal to find a way into the opera house and the world of ballet.
Honk! features such a sweet, creative storyline — a real-life swan who wants to perform in Swan Lake — and Pamela Duncan Edwards tells the story simply, with lots of heart. Interestingly, the primary conflict in the book is not one from which Mimi must learn a lesson: it is one in which she must cling to her own courage, cleverness, and perseverance to achieve her lifelong goal. The human beings in the story are the ones who must learn to adapt, and the inflexible Paris Opera House manager serves as our antagonist, one who refuses to acknowledge Mimi’s hard work and sincere longing to join the ballet. Honk! is an unusual blend of fantasy and magical realism; it’s never totally clear how anthropomorphic Mimi is, but either way, we have to suspend our belief enough to think that Mimi fools people into thinking she’s just wearing a swan costume… and that the opera house manager is willing to let her perform onstage in Swan Lake because she gets lots of applause. That’s the beauty of a good children’s book: one that reimagines the world around us as a place where fantastical things can happen.
Henry Cole’s illustrations are another element that elevates Honk! among other children’s books. His drawings are soft, incandescent, a little clouded around the edges to evoke a sense of soft candlelight and luminescent backstages. Though he often provides the humorous exaggerations and slapstick comedy of a typical children’s book, it’s the charming setting — winter of early 1910s Paris — that complements the ballet-themed narrative, one that is sure to capture the imagination of any little child dreaming of ballet. Who could blame Mimi for wanting to join the cavalcade of white-feathered ballerinas, the moonlit backstage company rehearsals, the dazzling snow-covered opera house at night? Even if the inspirational storyline and humorous antics of Mimi weren’t enough to capture a child’s attention, the enchanting illustrations would be.
I’m adding Honk! to my list of books that I hope to share with my own daughter one day. Edwards’ style is just captivating, like a warm fuzzy fairytale, and the Paris Opera House ballet company setting with Swan Lake as a backdrop is everything I dream about. Mimi’s story is pretty similar to that of any protagonist in ballet media — follow your dreams to dance, and don’t let anything stand in your way — but Mimi is a heck of a lot cuter than most of those other protagonists.
Mimi Swan, a beautiful white swan who lives on the Seine River, has been fascinated with ballet ever since she saw a production at the Paris Opera House, and she drives her fellow river creatures crazy with her constant practice in hopes of one day being able to join the ballet company. When Mimi learns that a new production has come to the opera house — one that involves lots of feathers — she becomes determined to join the ballet company and perform in Swan Lake, but the irritable opera house manager is determined to keep her from entering. Mimi, however, is not easily dissuaded, and she must call upon every trick in her arsenal to find a way into the opera house and the world of ballet.
Honk! features such a sweet, creative storyline — a real-life swan who wants to perform in Swan Lake — and Pamela Duncan Edwards tells the story simply, with lots of heart. Interestingly, the primary conflict in the book is not one from which Mimi must learn a lesson: it is one in which she must cling to her own courage, cleverness, and perseverance to achieve her lifelong goal. The human beings in the story are the ones who must learn to adapt, and the inflexible Paris Opera House manager serves as our antagonist, one who refuses to acknowledge Mimi’s hard work and sincere longing to join the ballet. Honk! is an unusual blend of fantasy and magical realism; it’s never totally clear how anthropomorphic Mimi is, but either way, we have to suspend our belief enough to think that Mimi fools people into thinking she’s just wearing a swan costume… and that the opera house manager is willing to let her perform onstage in Swan Lake because she gets lots of applause. That’s the beauty of a good children’s book: one that reimagines the world around us as a place where fantastical things can happen.
Henry Cole’s illustrations are another element that elevates Honk! among other children’s books. His drawings are soft, incandescent, a little clouded around the edges to evoke a sense of soft candlelight and luminescent backstages. Though he often provides the humorous exaggerations and slapstick comedy of a typical children’s book, it’s the charming setting — winter of early 1910s Paris — that complements the ballet-themed narrative, one that is sure to capture the imagination of any little child dreaming of ballet. Who could blame Mimi for wanting to join the cavalcade of white-feathered ballerinas, the moonlit backstage company rehearsals, the dazzling snow-covered opera house at night? Even if the inspirational storyline and humorous antics of Mimi weren’t enough to capture a child’s attention, the enchanting illustrations would be.
I’m adding Honk! to my list of books that I hope to share with my own daughter one day. Edwards’ style is just captivating, like a warm fuzzy fairytale, and the Paris Opera House ballet company setting with Swan Lake as a backdrop is everything I dream about. Mimi’s story is pretty similar to that of any protagonist in ballet media — follow your dreams to dance, and don’t let anything stand in your way — but Mimi is a heck of a lot cuter than most of those other protagonists.
April 8, 2021
this is an adorable inspirational tale! i enjoyed the motiff, the moral and the art style. very cute and gave me feels!
November 20, 2017
Honk! is a book many students would like to read, as it deals with an animal set in a realistic world. The story discusses having a dream and trying to follow it, even as others try to stop you. In the end, the swan achieve her dream - a happy ending anyone would want to read. I liked this book and its fairytale-esque manner, and I would probably do a series in class with the author's other books as well.
October 1, 2019
Honk!: The Story of a Prima Swanerina (Paperback)
by Pamela Duncan Edwards
I found a book with my daughters nickname, unfortunately she is an adult, maybe when she has a little one. Honk is a story about perseverance this swan does not give up. Her attempts to gain entry to the ballet is remarkable and what she shows when she gets there is amazing. I think its a great way to introduce perseverance for children.
by Pamela Duncan Edwards
I found a book with my daughters nickname, unfortunately she is an adult, maybe when she has a little one. Honk is a story about perseverance this swan does not give up. Her attempts to gain entry to the ballet is remarkable and what she shows when she gets there is amazing. I think its a great way to introduce perseverance for children.
March 27, 2021
"After that, she practiced every day, because Mimi Swan had fallen in love with ballet."
After seeing dancers at the Paris Opera House gracefully twirling about the stage, Mimi wants to be a ballerina. When she tries to go into the opera house to see Swan Lake, she is chased out. But thanks to a ballerina who is running late, Mimi sneaks in through the back door and makes it onto the stage. And she is a smashing success.
Dreams can come true.
After seeing dancers at the Paris Opera House gracefully twirling about the stage, Mimi wants to be a ballerina. When she tries to go into the opera house to see Swan Lake, she is chased out. But thanks to a ballerina who is running late, Mimi sneaks in through the back door and makes it onto the stage. And she is a smashing success.
Dreams can come true.
February 18, 2023
Probably it's just me but this book strained credulity.
A swan as a ballerina?
A swan having trouble getting into the opera house to view performances?
And big applause from the audience for this swan?
Clearly humor is supposed to be a big payoff for reading, like all the shocked expressions of audience members. Probably it's just me that I didn't find this a hoot. Or a hilarious honk.
A swan as a ballerina?
A swan having trouble getting into the opera house to view performances?
And big applause from the audience for this swan?
Clearly humor is supposed to be a big payoff for reading, like all the shocked expressions of audience members. Probably it's just me that I didn't find this a hoot. Or a hilarious honk.
January 19, 2025
Mimi Swan fell in love with the ballet and she practices hard every day, driving all the other birds at the farm crazy. Being a bit of a diva, Mimi's attempt to join the professional ballet is squelched when they hear her "Honk!" Hilarious antics as Mimi attempts to get into the opera house, despite getting kicked out multiple times.
July 18, 2018
Cute very cute.
April 30, 2021
We really liked this in Grade Two.
May 16, 2021
So precious, and original! Great story.
February 15, 2022
My favorite childhood book. Read it a thousand times. Would cry if I had to take it back or I couldn’t find it at the library so cute!
December 14, 2012
Mimi was driving the other birds and animals crazy! She wouldn’t stop practicing her ballet steps! Mimi was a swan and ever since she watched part of a ballet though the window of the Paris Opera House, she practiced every day. She had fallen in love with ballet. Mimi went back to the Opera House to watch the dancers and one night she saw the company performing Swan Lake! She was determined to see the ballet from inside the Opera House and so she made a series of (unsuccessful) attempts, all thwarted by the outraged manager. He shooed her out yelling, “No birds allowed in the opera house!” After her final try, Mimi sat dejectedly in the snow outside the stage door. But just then a late dancer ran through the stage door, unknowingly leaving just enough room for a swan to squeeze in after her! That night Mimi didn’t get to watch Swan Lake, she got to dance it!
In dialogue and narration, punctuated by a “HONK!” here and there from Mimi, this story celebrates one swan’s passion for dance. Although the storyline, about a character who wants to dance/sing/paint desperately, can be found in many children’s books, Edwards and Duncan’s offering is a cut above others, well crafted and paced. The descriptive text is grounded in a humorous tone. The painted illustrations are realistic, but they list towards the humorous side. For instance, the dry humor of the birds is reflected in their unhappy faces and the red-faced, eye-popping indignation of the manager is a perfect match for Edwards’ dialogue. The color palate contrasts Mimi’s natural habitat, the blue sky and green pond, with the rich reds, blues, and golds of the Opera House.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
In dialogue and narration, punctuated by a “HONK!” here and there from Mimi, this story celebrates one swan’s passion for dance. Although the storyline, about a character who wants to dance/sing/paint desperately, can be found in many children’s books, Edwards and Duncan’s offering is a cut above others, well crafted and paced. The descriptive text is grounded in a humorous tone. The painted illustrations are realistic, but they list towards the humorous side. For instance, the dry humor of the birds is reflected in their unhappy faces and the red-faced, eye-popping indignation of the manager is a perfect match for Edwards’ dialogue. The color palate contrasts Mimi’s natural habitat, the blue sky and green pond, with the rich reds, blues, and golds of the Opera House.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
February 17, 2008
I like Honk because Honk is a great story because Honk really really really goes into the Swan Lake ballet. And Swan Lake is a great movie. I've seen the movie too. But it's a little scary, because in the Swan Lake movie, the swan doesn't marry the prince, and they die at the end. They don't marry at all because at one party they don't usually have the swan princess, and the mean sorcerer tricks the prince. So the swan lake girl is trapped up, and that's how the mean wizard tricks the prince. And it's very scary because at the end they really do want to marry each other. All the other princesses that were changed into swans were so beautiful because they all had white dresses and beautiful -- like lapis lazuli.
February 8, 2017
Picture Book
August 25, 2008
Ok, so this swan wants to be a ballerina and one day she peeks into the ballet and sees them performing Swan Lake. Well! Of course she NEEDS to get in there... but is constantly rebuffed. Finally she sneaks in and .....
Very cute. Nice pictures, orginal story. Funny.
Very cute. Nice pictures, orginal story. Funny.
March 10, 2009
Mimi the swan believes she is a ballerina. She desperately wants to get in the Opera House to see the ballerinas who she thinks are "pretending to be me." Her many attempts to sneak past the manager add some silliness.
Read
April 7, 2009Extending the concept; making predictions, sorting and categorizing, extending the concept, social/emotional
development, character development; addressing visual/spatial, musical, and kinesthetic learning
styles.
development, character development; addressing visual/spatial, musical, and kinesthetic learning
styles.
February 4, 2016
The story of a swan who becomes obsessed with ballet. Now she wants to dance with all the pretty ballerinas on the stage! At last she gets her wish and dances in (what else?) Swan Lake.
Really liked illustrations more than the actual story.
Really liked illustrations more than the actual story.
March 4, 2008
I liked the part when the honk does ballet with the ballerinas. mlkkiojkju
August 26, 2008
Who can resist a ballerina that honks? What a wonderful story!
July 23, 2009
Great illustrations, great story. I love that she sees the ballet performing Swan Lake and thinks they are doing a tribute to her. Very clever.
November 24, 2010
This was a funny story about a goose who wants to be a ballerina. She watches them dance from a window and one day sneaks into the theater and gets to dance on stage.
April 12, 2013
Funny and inspiring, this story that suggests one should never underestimate a being (in this case, a swan) who is passionate about an art or vocation and determined to pursue her dream.
June 12, 2015
This is a beautifully illustrated story of a determined swan who has found a passion for dance and will not be denied her chance to shine on stage. A colorful read that children will love.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews