BLACK SWANS

The stories of six daring, groundbreaking Black ballet dancers leap off the pages of this beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book. Meet Essie Marie Dorsey, who in 1926 opened one of the first ballet schools for Black students; Arthur Mitchell, the first Black dancer with the New York City Ballet; Christian Holder, a principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet; choreographer Dwight Rhoden; and present-day ballerinas Misty Copeland and Michaela DePrince. With a leap of faith and a love of dance, these Black Swans overcame obstacles and opened doors for all the children who dream of dancing.

Author Laurel van der Linde began ballet class at age four. At seventeen, she toured with Oukhtomsky Ballet Classique and Los Angeles Ballet. She loved dancing en pointe, but her feet did not. So she traded her pointe shoes for character heels and danced on Broadway in My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Gower Champion's Annie Get Your Gun. Now she teaches creative writing at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Illustrator Sawyer Cloud is a self-taught artist from Madagascar. She still lives on her native island, along with her family and her two pets. She loves sunny days, singing, and sharing stories with the world.