Lettice, the Dancing Rabbit - Hardcover

Stanley, Mandy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689847971 ISBN 13: 9780689847974

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2002

Synopsis

Lettice Rabbit wants to be a ballerina more than anything else in the world. But is being the star of the show really better than being a rabbit?

About this title

About the Author

Mandy Stanley has written and illustrated several picture books, and she has won awards for her soft toy designs. She lives in Suffolk, England.

Reviews

reschool-Kindergarten--Lettice is a bunny who wishes to be a ballerina just like the human child she sees on a poster. Wearing doll-sized dance attire, she hops off to join a class where her dazzlingly high jumps soon win her the leading role in the coming recital. When her friends and family begin to ignore Lettice, thinking she no longer cares about their simple pleasures, she eagerly renounces life on the stage and rejoins the rabbits for a wholesome romp in the meadow. It is all very simple and sweet, and preschoolers may well enjoy the story, no matter how superficial. The clear and clean illustrations are prettily appealing. Unfortunately, the soft pinks, grays, and greens against a pale yellow background are so muted they almost seem faded, although the silver sparkles on the dust jacket should catch the eye of youngsters.
Dorian Chong, San Jose State University, CA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

ink-eared, pint-size Lettice Rabbit yearns to be a dancer, so she hops to town "all by herself," takes ballet classes with the humans and earns the starring role in the class recital. (Lettice's teacher is "amazed" at her "extraordinary" jumps.) Aspiring ballerinas will identify with the resolute bunny as she finds just the right practice clothes (they're from a doll) and learns to leap and twirl. At the recital, Lettice's family members clap "their soft little paws all through the show," but Lettice is hurt when they (improbably) go home without her. Feeling lonely when they tease her the next day, she throws off her dancing togs and decides that "being a rabbit [is], by far, the very best thing in the world." Since Stanley (Bloomer: The Dog You Can Play With) devotes most of the book to Lettice's joy in dancing and her determination to follow her dream, it's disappointing if not downright puzzling when she abruptly abandons her hard-won accomplishments. The book's pink-gingham spine and endpapers recall the jackets of Dare Wright's Edith books, while the loosely drawn pastel illustrations nod at the quiet sweetness of Angelina Ballerina, but Lettice has a plucky personality of her own. The understated picture of Lettice tying her shoe ribbons as she sits atop her dressing table, almost dwarfed by a greeting card, shows the heroine as a charmer and one who deserves a better plot. Ages 3-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ages 3-5. This British import is charming: text, pictures, and design. Lettice is a little rabbit who wants to be a ballerina. A determined cottontail, she hops into town, locates a ballet school and asks to take lessons. When she can't find the proper outfit, she takes some clothes from a doll. She turns out to be the star of the class, and the star of her recital, too. Her family, who has seen her perform, is delighted with Lettice's success, but worries she won't want to do things like pick apples or carrots: "She's a star!" In an ending that comes several beats too quickly, Lettice goes home, realizing that because she now knows what it's like to be a ballerina, she prefers being a rabbit, with the wind in her fur and the grass between her toes. Just looking at the dust jacket illustration, with its pink gingham border and endearing bunny wearing sparkling slippers, will bring a smile. The inside art and the amusing text will keep it there. The message about being yourself will be heard, but frankly, Lettice makes it look like more fun to be a ballerina. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689847971
• ISBN 13: 9780689847974
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Stanley Mandy
• Number of pages: 32