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.

George Balanchine's The Nutcracker Ages 5-12

Photographs taken during the film production, capture all the elegant and rich movement of George Balanchine's ballet.George Balanchine's The Nutcracker

By Joel Meyerowitz, George Balanchine, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky

Published by MetroBooks, 2001

ISBN 1586633430, 9781586633431
Includes Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker highlights on CD.

From Kirkus Reviews
In the manner of Violette Verdy's step-by-step retellings (Of Swans, Sugarplums, and Satin Slippers, 1991), a scrupulously detailed narration explicating what's seen in a full performance of The Nutcracker--in this case, the new film version. The text is written with some grace, though it has the labored visual detail of words following film rather than fiction standing alone. The author's beautifully reproduced color photos, from tiny vignettes tucked into the text to full-bleed spreads, appear in profusion. Some are a bit small to read, and they don't really work together to tell the story, nor do they evoke the movement of the dance as an accomplished illustrator might; but they do convey the lush setting and costumes and the variety of characterizations and actions. Best are the spreads near the end, when the earnest explanations finally cease and the formal configurations of the dance--and the lavish settings--come into their own. An attractive book that will be most useful as a complement to the film. (Nonfiction. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --

Product Description
Illustrated with photographs taken during the production, this volume features the magical story of the nutcracker and captures the movement, elegance, and artistry of the ballet. Movie tie-in.

Dance is the Air We Breathe: Dance Quotations Ages

Includes quotations about dance from a variety of historical and contemporary sources.
Dance Is the Air We Breathe: Dance Quotations

By Helen Exley

Edition: 2, illustrated

Published by Helen Exley Giftbooks, 2003

ISBN 1861875290, 9781861875297

61 pages Ages 8, 9, 10, 11,12, 13, 14, 15, 16,17, 18

Barn Dance! Ages 4-8

In an old farmhouse, bathed in the light of a full moon, a young boy creeps to his bedroom window and looks outside. Was that a voice he just heard, or the hooting of an owl? There it is again:

Come a little closer...
Come a little closer...
Listen to the night...
There's music in the air...

Beckoned by the voice, the boy sneaks downstairs, out the door, and walks toward the barn. As he gets closer he hears the sweet sound of a country fiddler and the rhythmic thumping of dancing feet. But who could possibly be having a barn dance in the middle of the night?

Barn Dance!

By Bill Martin, Bill Martin, Jr., John Archambault, Ted Rand

Illustrated by Ted Rand

Edition: illustrated, reprint

Published by Henry Holt & Company, 1988

ISBN 0805007997, 9780805007992

32 pages Ages 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Childhood Education: Sheer Magic! A fun-filled romp, ideal for READING ALOUD.
Booklist: Starred Review "A rousing, rowdy tale pulsing with the rhythm of country music. . . . Rand's raucous . . . watercolor spreads are a spirited as the story poem."

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3 With a rhythmic cadence Martin and Archambault build their story from a quiet moonlit night when ``there's magic in the air'' to a very special foot stompin' party and back again. On this eerie night everyone is asleep except for the ``skinny kid with questions in his head.'' With him readers sneak out to the barn and hide just in time to see all the farm animals kick up their heels to the scarecrow's fiddle music. While the words are a delight to hear (albeit it's a bit hard to get the tongue around on some lines), Rand's pictures make the story come alive. The two-page spreads range from the barn standing ghost-like in the full moonlight to the colorful interior of the barn, where the figures seem to be in perpetual motion. An engaging blend of words and pictures to set both the mind and eye dancing. Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ballet Ages 6-12

PREVIEW 8 Pages
Ballet

By Kate Castle

Edition: illustrated

Published by Kingfisher, 2002

ISBN 0753454882, 9780753454886

64 pages Ages 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

A reference book discussing all aspects of ballet and its history examines dance costumes, the steps, choreographers, what it's like to be in a class, a glossary of dancers, retellings of favorite ballet stories, and much more. Reprint.
Written by a former member of The Royal Ballet company, this book offers a true insider's view of absolutely everything a budding balletomane wants to know about dance from the costumes, the steps, the choreographers, and the dance companies to what it's like in a class, a rehearsal and a performance. The illustrations --luscious and atmospheric -- thrill and inspire. Also a terrific reference, this book provides detailed coverage of the history of ballet, retellings of favorite ballet stories, and a glossary of dancers, choreographers, companies and technical terms, as well as a timeline of performances. A beautiful gift book as exciting as opening night!

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Magic Slippers: Stories from the Ballet Ages 6-12

Magic Slippers: Stories from the Ballet

By Gilda Berger, Gilda Rosenberry, Vera Rosenberry

Illustrated by Vera Rosenberry

Published by Doubleday, 1990

ISBN 0385249357, 9780385249355

126 pages Ages 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Between the covers of this elegant volume, young people will find the most famous ballets, retold in story form. Here, true to the original tales, are the stories of Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and five others set off by Vera Rosenberry's exquisite paintings in glowing colors.

Rap a Tap Tap Ages 3-7

Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles Think of That!
By Leo Dillon, Diane Dillon
Illustrated by Leo Dillon, Diane Dillonstyle
Edition: illustratedPublished by Blue Sky Press, 2002
ISBN 0590478834, 9780590478830
32 pages
"There once was a man who danced in the street / He brought pleasure and joy to the people he'd greet / He didn't just dance, he made art with his feet / Rap a tap tap--think of that!" This simple book for young children has the added bonus of describing the life of a ground-breaking African-American tap dancer. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1920s-30s. People said he "talked with his feet," and in the Dillons' graceful paintings of old New York, he dances from page to page to the tune of a toe-tapping rhyme. Rap a tap tap--think of that!
A tribute to Bill "Bojangles" Robinson captures the rhythm of the famous tap dancing he did all over the city: in the street, behind doors that were both open and closed to him, in crowds, in upscale neighborhoods as well as "the skids," in the park, and ultimately, on stage. Watercolor illustrations in sophisticated shades of tan, plum, aqua, mustard, olive, rust, black, and gray recall the pre-WWII era in which Robinson lived and danced. The stylized figures, shown mostly in profile without detailed features, are reminiscent of Synthia Saint James's work and stand out cleanly against a bright white background. The contagious, joyful exhilaration of Bojangles's dance is conveyed through shadowy legs surrounding his real ones, as if the rapt onlookers' eyes could not keep up with his frenetic movement, as well as the rhyming text that begs to be read aloud and repeated. A note at the end explains who Bojangles was and includes fascinating information about his life and his talent, including the fact that no other dancer was ever able to repeat some of his more intricate steps. Spectacular, clear design includes spot varnish on the cover, highlighting the colorful type and figures against a matte white. This jazzy introduction to an important contributor to American culture will entrance the youngest music and dance fans. (Picture book. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7)
Kirkus Reviews Copyright (c) VNU Business Media, Inc.

My Great-aunt Arizona Ages 5-8

My Great-Aunt Arizona
By Gloria Houston, Susan Condie Lamb
Photographs by Susan Condie Lamb
Illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb
Contributor Susan Condie Lamb
Edition: illustratedPublished by HarperCollinsPublishers, 1992
ISBN 0060226064, 9780060226060
32 pages Ages 5, 6, 7, 8
Arizona was born in a log cabin her papa built in the meadow on Henson Creek. She grew to be a very tall little girl who liked to grow flowers, sing, and square dance to the music of the fiddler on Saturday night. But what she liked most of all was to read - and dream - about all the faraway places she would visit one day.

Echoing Barbara Cooney's fictionalized ...... picture-book biographies of strong, independent women whose stories both challenged and exemplified their times (Miss Rumphius, 1982; Hattie and the Wild Waves, 1990), Houston (her The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree, 1988, was illustrated by Cooney) recounts the story of a great-aunt who spent her entire life in rural North Carolina. Though she dropped out of school to care for the family when her mother died, Arizona was eventually able to fulfill her ambition of becoming a teacher, returning to the one-room school she had attended, marrying, and bringing her own children to school with her but never going to the ""faraway places"" she visited only ""in my mind."" Arizona doesn't have Hattie's individuality or Miss Rumphius's vision, and her story has less energy and unique flavor than either of theirs; still, Houston's simple narrative is warm and exceptionally graceful and clean, while Lamb's settings (which seem to be in watercolor plus color pencil) are well researched. Her impressionistic outdoor scenes are especially attractive; figures are less expert if lively--the young Arizona reading with highbutton shoes aloft, or dancing with skirts aswirl above the knee, are engaging bits of poetic license. A nostalgic but appealing portrait of another generation. Kirkus Reviews Copyright (c) VNU Business Media, Inc.

Song and Dance Man Ages 7+

Song and dance man

By Karen Ackerman, Stephen Gammell

Illustrated by Stephen Gammell

Edition: reprint, illustrated

Published by Dragonfly Books, 1992

ISBN 0679819959, 9780679819950

30 pages Winner 1989 Caldecott Medal
Illus. in full color. "In this affectionate story, three children follow their grandfather up to the attic, where he pulls out his old bowler hat, gold-tipped cane, and his tap shoes. Grandpa once danced on the vaudeville stage, and as he glides across the floor, the children can see what it was like to be a song and dance man. Gammell captures all the story's inherent joie de vivre with color pencil renderings that leap off the pages. Bespectacled, enthusiastic Grandpa clearly exudes the message that you're only as old as you feel, but the children respond--as will readers--to the nostalgia of the moment. Utterly original."--(starred) Booklist.
Children should hear and see some soft shoe as well as tap dance performances in conjunction with this book. A few clips from Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire movies would go well. Television footage of Vaudeville-type shows such as Ed Sullivan might give children some idea of the Grandpa's heyday. Ages 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Angelina and the Princess Ages 4-8

ANGELINA AND THE PRINCESS
by Katharine Holabird
illustrated by Helen Craig
Pleasant Company Publications
ISBN: 158485653X
Ages 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
24 pages
Miss Lilly's Ballet School is invited to perform for the Princess. Angelina was hoping to be the star, but Miss Lilly puts her into a minor role instead. See how Angelina makes the best of things and helps all the performers to shine!

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High Flight

High Flight

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of; wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air;
Up, up the long delirious burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace,
Where never lark nor even eagle flew;
And while, with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high, untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Fl. Officer John Gillespie McGee
1922-1941