The Random House Book of Stories from the Ballet - Hardcover

McCaughrean, Geraldine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679971254 ISBN 13: 9780679971252

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1995

Synopsis

"In this attractive book, ten of the world's best-known ballets, including The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, and Cinderella, are introduced to young readers.  The essence of a ballet production is successfully captured by the full-color illustrations, which exuberantly portray each story's setting, and the writing style, which maintains the original flavor of both the tales and ballets.  Children who love to attend ballets, take ballet lessons, or like to read fairy tales will delight in this treasury."--Booklist  There is no more elegant or comprehensive introduction to the ballet than this enchanting book.  

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?Plot summaries from 10 classical ballets, all of them major crowd-pleasers such as Swan Lake, Coppelia, and The Nutcracker. The most recent ballets covered are Romeo and Juliet, Petrouchka, and The Firebird. The reteller presents them as short stories complete with dialogue and thoughts. She does a credible job of briefly and accurately presenting the plots in a way that should hold the interest of readers who have no background on the subject. Barrett's handsome illustrations have a 19th-century, old-fashioned look. They include lots of period detail, and are done predominately in pastels, gold, orange, and dark blue. They look just like ballets in their detailed design and pretty colors. Louis Untermeyer's Tales from the Ballet (Golden Press, 1968; o.p.) covers more ballets (and more modern ones) with briefer plot summaries, while Jane Rosenberg's Dance Me a Story (Thames and Hudson, 1985; o.p.) describes the same ballets as McCaughrean, but in greater detail, and her book is aimed more at serious young dance students. McCaughrean's volume compares well with both of those titles and should enrich any collection.?Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, GA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. The lights dim. The orchestra begins playing. And the curtain rises on a stage set for a ballet. In this attractive book, 10 of the world's best-known ballets, including The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, and Cinderella, are introduced to young readers. Dramatic plots, unusual characters, and magical spells are interwoven into each of the well-written retellings. The essence of a ballet production is successfully captured by the full-color illustrations, which exuberantly portray each story's setting, and the writing style, which maintains the original flavor of both the tales and ballets. Children who love to attend ballets, take ballet lessons, or like to read fairy tales will delight in this treasury. April Judge

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0679971254
• ISBN 13: 9780679971252
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 112