Noel The First Ages 3-7

Noel is delighted when Madam asks her to stand first at the barre, until Anne Marie and Regina Louisa Belinda join the class and Noel the First ends up Noel the Third, and Noel does her best to outtwirl, outjump, and outdance the two other ballerinas.
Noel the First

By Kate McMullan, Jim McMullan

Illustrated by Jim McMullan

Edition: illustrated

Published by HarperCollins Canada, Limited, 1996

ISBN 0062051431, 9780062051431 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Ballerina Noel (introduced in Nutcracker Noel) enjoys the most privileged place at the barre in her class. Along with first place comes pressure, however, and Noel loses her coveted spot to a new dancer, Anne Marie. Anne Marie in turn faces a challenge from a third girl, Regina Louisa Belinda. As Noel watches her foes spinning and leaping, she realizes they look "like a pair of killer whales going after the same sardine." Competition has brought out their worst; seeing this, Noel recovers her own artistic balance and dances "with all her heart, the way she used to do," thus regaining her teacher's favor. Kate McMullan accentuates Noel's initial vanity ("Noel the First... that's me!"), then comically ups the ante by giving Noel's competitors haughty demeanors. Jim McMullan, too, compares the lanky girls to society ladies, endowing them with ski-slope noses, sugary smiles and mannered postures (Regina even wears a tiara). The more prideful the girls' behavior, the harder and less graceful the images become; as Noel transcends the competition, blurry and delicate watercolor touches soften her features and make her look lighter than air. For all the exaggeration, there is plenty of truth to this tale?not just for prima ballerinas, but for anyone striving for a personal best. Ages 3, 4 -up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2 Ages 5, 6, 7 -Noel loves to dance. When her teacher places her at the front of the line at the barre, she is very proud to lead the exercises. But when Anne Marie arrives and later on Regina Louisa Belinda, Noel "the first" becomes Noel "the second" and even Noel "the third." As she watches the other two girls trying to outdo one another, she sees how silly they look. When her turn comes, she forgets about them and only listens to the music as she dances from the heart; her teacher is delighted to have finally found a "real dancer." In this simple, lightly humorous text, young readers will identify with Noel and the dilemma of wanting to be first. The soft-hued illustrations effectively capture the ballet-studio environment with its leaping and twirling young dancers. Occasionally the alignment of the dancers borders on contortionistic rather than balletic, but overall the dynamic drawings are appealing and convey the moods and momentum of the story.
Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.