Ballet Bunnies - Hardcover

Goodman, Joan E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 076145392X ISBN 13: 9780761453925

Publisher: Two Lions, 2008

Synopsis

Time for ballet class! The bunnies brush their ears, wash their whiskers, and put on their special dance clothes. They warm up, practice their positions, exercise at the barre, hop, skip, wiggle, and dance! Children will enjoy reading this unique and rabbity look at a day in the dance studio, portrayed in adorable acrylic-paint illustrations.

About this title

About the Author:

Joan Elizabeth Goodman received a BFA from Pratt Institute in New York City and studied at L’Accademia de Belle Arti in Rome. She has illustrated numerous picture books and written for children of all ages. She got the idea for writing Ballet Bunnies from observing her daughter’s ballet class at Peridance Center, New York. She and her husband live with their two children in New York City.

From Booklist:

In this useful ballet primer, a girl and a boy bunny, demonstrate basic technique in scenes that follow a ballet class, from warm-ups to the barre to the hop, skip, twirl, and wiggle fun of centerwork. Goodman takes an admirably restrained approach, posing most of her characters head-on and dressing them in no-frills dancewear (no impractical tulle skirts!) to better show leg placement. Additional pluses include the portrayal of more advanced positions by an obviously older student, and Goodman’s plainspoken interpretations of major ballet steps (for a grand jeté, dancers should pretend to leap over a big puddle). It’s odd, however, that no pronunciation guides are included for the French terms, and considering Goodman’s obvious interest in realism, it’s also odd that she chose bunnies as her dancers—their rabbit heads look incongruous atop distinctly human torsos and legs. Nonetheless, this will help prepare children accustomed to the more free-form atmosphere of predance classes for a more structured ballet experience. Grades K-2. --Jennifer Mattson

About this edition

• Publisher: Two Lions
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 076145392X
• ISBN 13: 9780761453925
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32