Little Ballet Star - Softcover

Award-winning author Adele Geras spent much of her childhood moving from place to place. To date Adele has written over 100 books for children, including the bestselling The Ballet Class for Orchard and the highly acclaimed Troy (Scholastic) which was shortlisted for The Whitbread Prize. A great deal of her poetry has been published in various magazines and anthologies. Adele lives in Manchester with her husband. Shelagh McNicholas grew up in Liverpool. Apart from a short time spent teaching life drawing, Shelagh has always worked as an illustrator. The Ballet Class was Shelagh's first picture book for Orchard. Her realistic and endearing illustrations perfectly complement the story of Tilly and her ambitions to become a top ballerina. Shelagh is passionate about drawing and is happiest with her sketchbook and pencils. Her favourite subject is her daughter and it was her sketches of Molly as a ballerina that inspired her illustrations for 'The Ballet Class'. Shelagh lives in Surrey with her daughter.

*Starred Review* On Tilly’s birthday, her mother takes her to see the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. Arriving early, they meet Aunt Gina (who dances the lead role), and she takes Tilly backstage to see the dancers warming up and putting on their makeup. Then, she dons her present (a fairy costume) in the wardrobe department. Tilly joins her mother in the audience to watch the ballet, but after the final bows, Gina invites her niece on stage to dance with her, while the orchestra plays “Happy Birthday,” and audience members applaud. A sequel to Time for Ballet (2004), which was also narrated by Tilly, this picture book will charm aspiring young dancers. The large format allows plenty of space for the expressive pencil illustrations, tinted with washes in pastel shades. The story’s ending may be unrealistic, but wish fulfillment has its place, and this picture book offers the stuff that daydreams are made of. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan