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Reviews (1)

Enjoyable
The book moves and entertains everyone. Numbers are fun and the rhythum keeps going and going. Quick reader and helps beginning readers to be successful. ... Read more

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This is my danceBoom-pa-pa! Tango, cha-cha! This whimsical, rhythmical “move-to-it” bookabout dancing bears encourages children to zig and zag, leap and romp,tiptoe and melt and move their bodies in many exciting ways.Accompanying instrument: One mini-bear drum. Recommended ages: 3-5 years. ... Read more

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Starring Nina Ananiashvili! The Swan Lake ballet-a universal favorite for children and adults alike--is charmingly brought to life through Nancy Ellison's captivating pictures.Photographed in and around Moscow's spectacular Kuskovo Palace, Swan Lake is a wonderful introduction to the beloved story and ballet as well as an enchanting keepsake for aficionados of the bittersweet tale.

The ballet comes vividly to life on every page: lonely Prince Siegfried, walking along the shore of the palace, happens upon a group of swans transforming into lovely young maidens before his eyes.Siegfried is enchanted with the beauty and grace of the swan queen, Odette.She and her princesses are under the spell of an evil magician, which can only be broken when a prince promises to love her forever.Young readers will follow the story with bated breath as Siegfried promises to marry Odette-but is his love strong enough to break through the magician's spell?

NANCY ELLISON is a photojournalist, whose work has appeared in many publications, including the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Vogue, LIFE, and Newsweek. She has had numerous exhibitions of her work, and her photographs are in many public and private collections.She and her husband reside in New York City. AMY EPHRON is a novelist, screenwriter, and producer. Her literary works include White Rose; una rosa blanca; and A Cup of Tea.She was executive producer for the highly acclaimed film A Little Princess. She lives in Los Angeles, with her three children. NINA ANANIASHVILI is the principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Medal in the Moscow International Ballet Competition, the State Prize of Georgia, and the State Prize of Russia.In addition to dancing with the Bolshoi Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre, Ananiashvili has also appeared with the Royal Danish Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Boston Ballet, the Munich Ballet, and the Tokyo Ballet, among others.

80 pages of photographs in full color, 10 x 9 3/4" ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Supreme Portraits On a Budget
Nina Ananiashvili, in addition to having world-class ballerina skills, is a treat for the eyes ... she is beautiful. The photographs in the book are excellent and should be in any Nina admirer's collection. I was considering buying portraits from her website, but they are quite expensive. This book fills the bill.

The story is told at a child-level and captures the essense of Swan Lake. However, I didn't care for the variations introduced wherein Rotbart is unharmed, and the swans can transform near the gardens by the lake, even by day.

Russian ballerina stars in this Swan Lake
Fans of "Nina Ballerina" (Nina Ananiashvili) will treasure this book, because the Swan Lake story is illustrated with beautiful photos of the Russian ballerina. You can see how she uses her whole body to change from the loving Odette (in white) to the cruel Odile (in black). One reservation: I wouldn't use this book to introduce children to the ballet. The bold theatrical makeup, designed to be visible from the audience, is almost overwhelming in the closeup photos. For a child, Rachel Isadora's illustrations are a better introduction to the story. Still, Ellison's book is a "must-buy" for balletomanes and Nina fans. ... Read more

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A biography of the entertainment superstar, Paula Abdul. ... Read more

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Repeated strikes on the drum-like a heartbeat-and an intense, chantlike song draw people near. In the still, stubborn heat of a summer's day, an American Indian man performs a breathtaking dance for an eager audience.

Kevin Locke, who is a member of the Lakota Nation, travels far from his home on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota to perform this difficult and intricate dance for audiences around the world.

For Kevin, the hoop dance is more than a dance; it is a way of keeping Lakota traditions alive. And in the lively photographs and engaging text, the importance of the dance to both Lakota culture and all cultures-as a celebration of the human spirit and a symbol of unity and equality-is rendered compellingly. Readers will learn how Kevin prepares his hoops; what regalia, or outfit, he wears; the names and designs of specific hoop patterns and figures; and the importance of tiospaye, or extended family, to Lakota culture.

With its gorgeous photographs and fascinating narrative, this book is a testament to the enduring message of the American Indian hoop dance-hope for future prosperity and harmony. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lakota Ways
Lakota Hoop Dancer not only explains about the dancing and dancer, but gives a feel for the land of the Lakota, their views of the world, and the people themselves and their values. The brief glossary and explanations of Lakota expressions within the book help. Students and others interested in American Indian tribes will enjoy this and gain insights. Excellent photographs enhance the text. ... Read more

Book Description

Dancers from around the world twirl and jump through the pages of this exhilarating book, inviting young readers to get up and join in the celebrations. Vibrant photographs show how traditions are passed on through dance and how this lively art is an important part of many cultures. But most of all, the book will inspire the youngest readers to enjoy the magic and fun of dance. ... Read more

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Lili loves ballet, and now she gets a chance to see what goes on behind the scenes. She peeks into the makeup room, the wig room, and the prop room before arriving at her final destination, the orchestra pit. There her grandfather awaits her with a special surprise. This vibrantly illustrated off-stage tour of the ballet is packed with detail and brimming with pre-performance excitement.

"Isadora's watercolors demonstrate the myriad details needed to create the magic of a ballet performance." --The Horn Book

* A Picture Puffin
* Full-color illustrations
* 32 pages
* Ages 3-8 ... Read more

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This entertaining celebration of culture shows children different musical instruments and traditional forms of dance around the world. Fascinating photos feature unusual instruments and tradtional costumes from various cultures. ... Read more

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Reviews (4)

Whoa--awesome!
In here, Jessi Ramsey, an eleven year old fantastic ballerina, is offered the chance for a two-week class in New York--a dancing class! Go Jessi! And it's away from school! So Jessi is psyched and all her friends in the Babysitters' Club will miss her but they are excited for her as well. When she gets to the city, she is reunited with an old friend and makes new ones, plus she's staying with her cousin and his wife. They're very nice to her. She also likes it that they're artists and her cousin's wife plays the piano! New York City is very exciting but everyone's waiting for Jessi at home--right? Plus Jessi wants to go back--right?

Wrong. Jessi is accepted to be in the full-time program for the experts and has a very tough choice to make: her #1 goal or her friends and family back in Stoneybrook, Connecticut? What will she decide to do?

Welcome Back Jessi!!!!
This is the first book about Jessi since book #103 Happy Holidays, Jessi. It was really good though. Jessi gets accepted into Dance New York, a excellant ballet school. She gets to work with one of her heroes, is reunited with Quint, and makes great new friends! Jessi love living in the city and has a hard time coming back. Meanwhile at home Mallory misses Jessi like crazy! Becca is furious at Jessi for leaving her. This book really tells you that home is where the heart is. I loved this book and I hope you do to! :)

Follow your dreams or stay with your friends?
Jessi is accepted to Dance New York for a three week time span. She feels sad about leaving her friends but when she gets there she feels she's in another world. After three weeks is up of dancing at the acadamy she given a chance to dance there permanently now she has two choices stay with her friends or follow her dream.

Very good!
This is the first we've heard from Jessi in a long time and it was a very very good book. Jessi faces make a very hard decision; between her friends and life in Stoneybrook or her career in NYC. To find out what she chooses ... read the book! =) ... Read more

Book Description

On your toes! You can create short tutus, long-skirted outfits, and beautiful costumes from some of the world's best-loved ballets!

Mix-and-match sticker outfits with sticker tops, bottoms, and accessories make our Sticker Styles paper doll series unlike any other! Throw in not one, but two, cardstock paper dolls plus 16 pages of special paper outfits that have fronts and backs and can be "jazzed" up with sticker bows, fancy necklines--the possibilities are as endless as a young fashion designer's imagination! This brand-new series istruly the next generation in paper doll fun. The stickers can be used over and over, and even thepaper outfits are much easier to play with than traditional clothes that are attached with those impossible paper tabs.

* 100 reusable stickers in every book!
* No tabsfor easy dressing
* 16 pages of paper outfits
* 4 pgs. of sticker ensembles
* Hundreds ofmix and match outfits ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Princess Power!
Just the facts:

Two Cut out dolls, a blue eyed blond and a brown eyed ballerina with brown skin, illustrate the back of this paper doll book. Web sellers show only the front cover. The blue eyed blond is on the front cover. The costumes for the doll with the stand, the brown eyed doll, must be cut out with scissors. That includes a little part around the neck to fit the outfit over her head. Those holes can be sometimes difficult to cut out for younger children. This is rated for 4-8 year olds. There are 14 ballerina outfits to cut out.The stickers take up four pages and include balletslippers, outfits, bouquets of flowers, wands, headbands. They are supposed to be for the blue eyed blond ballerina but they could work either way. The outfits themselves are very imaginative and should inspire any future ballerina. Punch out dolls and clothes would have been much better for this age group! The main competition with these dolls in the B&M stores appears to be The American Girl line of Angelina Ballerina Paper dolls, stickers, and cut out Tea Party. I beleive a real little girl is a better role model than a mouse but that mouse has some great accessories! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Superb look at the life of a child ballet dancer
My daughter is entranced with ballerinas, and since her name is Lillian, someone gave her "Lili On Stage" for Christmas one year. It's perfect for any little girl (or boy, as boys are shown herein as well) who dreams of becoming a dancer.

Rachel Isadora, the author and illustrator, is a former ballerina herself and she graciously lets us into this magical world. Lili and her friends are shown getting ready to go onstage to perform in "The Nutcracker"--we see them stretching, getting into costumes and make-up, waiting with baited breath for their cues, and so on. What I like best about the book is that Isadora shows us the pixie dust and the magic along with all the incredible hard work that goes into not only being a ballerina, but putting on a ballet for the public. The teacher, costume mistress, stage manager, and prima ballerina are all shown doing their disparate jobs. We see that creating this dream of a ballet takes the commitment and cooperation of a great many people.

Wow!!!
This book is great! I bought it for my younger sister, and when I read it, I just didn't want to give it up. It depicts backstage life beautifully, and I would recommend this for anyone under 11.

Ballet fiction with the ring of truth
In our instant-gratification culture, ballet provides children a wonderful opportunity to learn about focusing on a long-term goal and taking pride in accomplishing each small step along the way. Rachel Isadora's Lili books ring true because Lili is not a child phenomenon, she's a young dancer who understands the slow disciplines of ballet. In Lili on Stage, she's performing in the Nutcracker. But she isn't the star, she's one of a group of children dancing in the party scene. It's obvious she loves her role, and recognizes what an accomplishment it is to dance in a performance. This book combines beautiful illustrations with a real understanding of the world of ballet. I'd recommend this and the other Lili books to any small dancer. (My dancing daughter is 13 and on pointe, and she still keeps Lili on her bookshelf.) ... Read more

Book Description

When the wind blows through Alligator Acres, in a far corner of Crawdad County, it is sure to carry a story with it. This is one of those stories -- the tale of Eloise, the gentle zebra. Eloise was just a bit too big to join in the jamming down at the juke joint, the one where Corndog Willie and the Slackjaws were playing up a storm. She's fortunate to have such good friends as gracious Cecil, the 'gator, and Woo, the considerate armadillo, who set matters right. Musician and philosopher Doug Anderson and artist Sara Anderson have collaborated in a lyrical ballad of community which celebrates friendship and loyalty, and echoes the energy, rhythm, and twang of a bayou Zydeco band. A strong sense of place is conveyed in the bold composition and spry language which meld with the deep greens and blues of the bayou. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Too Big to Dance
A heartwarming story line with colorful, whimsical illustrations. Should be nominated for the Caldecott Award!

Creative, Colorful and Fun!
I have just seen the animated version of "Too Big To Dance" on Sara's website and it is GREAT FUN! Doug's story is entertaining and has a goodhearted message and Sara's colorful characters make it a feast for the eyes. Too bad it's not longer! A nice collaboration and I'm ordering my copy, even though my kids are grown ups! Thanks Cousins!

Creative, Colorful and Fun!
I just saw the animated version on Sara's website and it is Wonderful! Rich in color and fun to read, it will entertain children and adults alike, over and over! Though my kids are grown, I'm ordering my copy pronto! Thanks, cousins, for a most enjoyable joint venture! ... Read more

Book Description

A new angel has to be brave.

The Little Angel of Courage is ready for her wings. At least, she thinks she is. But is she brave enough to help Paul with his problem and earn the rest of her feathers?

Paul likes to watch his sister's ballet class. But when he joins a dance class of his own, his friends tell him ballet is for girls. If the Little Angel of Courage can teach Paul to stand up for himself, she might just get those wings after all!

Believe in yourself. ... Read more