Hooray for Ballet!

Smart About Art

by Margaret Frith, Amanda Haley (Illustrator)

Presents the history of ballet and a look at one particular ballet, Swan Lake, in the form of a child's school report.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2003

About the author

Margaret Frith lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Gabrielle Palmisano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this book breaks down the different parts of preforming ballet while talking about Swan Lake. Swan Lake is a famous ballet performance that has been around for years! Elizabeth uses Swan Lake for the examples in her report. Her report starts off with her uncle Tim (who dances ballet in New York City) takes her to her first ballet which is Swan Lake. Elizabeth then talks about the history of dancing and how at one point only men danced ballet so they had to dance the girl parts too. She then goes on about the choreography and music going hand in hand. Elizabeth then talks about Swan Lake’s cast and story plot and how the ending has changed over the years.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

A so totally outstanding book that briefly explains the history, basics, and even the relationship to sports training of this dance form! It is uniquely presented in the format of a child's school report. My daughter and son both really enjoyed it. OK, I admit it, I loved this book as well. I often dreamed of being a prima ballerina as a young girl. The author, Margaret Frith, successfully created a short but highly educational introduction to ballet. Beautifully illustrated. XOXOXOs to Margaret:)