Useful Dance Bibliography

Non-fiction picture books

* Ancona, George. Dancing Is. New York: E.P. Dutton Publishing Co., 1991.
This book explores dance in many different cultures and the relationship of
dance to other kinds of movement.

* Barbosa, Steven. I Feel Like Dancing. Photography by Carolyn George
d'Amboise. New York: Crown Publishers, 1992. Every year, with the help of
the National Dance Institute, 700 New York City Public School students
perform a full-length dance production. This book follows the process from
the auditions in the fall to the performance in the spring.

* Brighton, Catherine. Nijinsky: Scenes from the Childhood of a Great
Dancer. New York: Doubleday, 1989. This book tells the story of the famous
ballet dancer's impoverished childhood in Imperial Russia, his invitation to
join the Imperial Ballet school, and his debut performance in front of the
Czar.

* Cosi, Lilliana. The Young Ballet Dancer. New York: Stein and Day, 1997.
This book contains photographs and explanations of the five ballet
positions, turns, and jumps.

* Davis, Jesse. Classics of The Royal Ballet. New York: Coward, McCann, and
Geoghegan, Inc., 1978. A photo essay of The Royal Ballet performing some of
the most famous ballets in its repertory: The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, La
Fille mal gardée, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, and Sleeping Beauty. The
photographs are accompanied by the plot of each tale, as well as historical
facts about the ballets and information on the dancers.

* Duvall, Jill D. Meet Rory Hohenstein: A Professional Dancer. Photographs
by Lili Duvall. New York: Children's Press, 1997. This book explores the
life of a teenage boy, Rory, who is training to become a professional
dancer.

* Hlibok, Bruce. Silent Dancer. Photographs by Liz Glasgow. New York:
Jullian Messler Publisher, 1981. This is the story of Nancy, a deaf fourth
grade student, and her ballet classes at the Joffrey Ballet School in New
York.

Glover, Savion & Bruce Weber. Savion! My Life in Tap. Morrow, William &
Co., 2000. This photoessay examines the life of Savion Glover, a young tap
dancer who speaks with his feet and choreographed the Tony award-winning
Broadway show "Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk".

* Gregory, Cynthia. Cynthia Gregory Dances Swan Lake. Photographs by Martha
Swope. New York: Simon and Shuster Books for Young Readers, 1990. Famous
ballet dancer Cynthia Gregory takes the reader through rehearsals and a
performance of Swan Lake.

* Grau, Andree. Dance. Photographs by Sussanah Price. Eyewitness Books,
1998. This book explores dance around the world.

* Isadora, Rachel. Isadora Dances. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 1998. This
book tells the story of Agela Dora (Isadora) Duncan, a breakthrough artist
in modern dance. The story is told with quotes from Isadora Duncan's
autobiography, My Life, and lush illustrations. The book outlines Isadora
Duncan's life and introduces its reader to modern dance.

* Jessel, Camilla. Life at The Royal Ballet School. New York: Methuen, 1955.
This book outlines what it is like to be a student at one of the world's
most famous pre-professional ballet schools.

* Jones, Bill T. Dance. Photographs by Susan Kuklin. [Publication info??]
1998. Well-known African-American dancer Bill T. Jones shares his fun and
funky movement style through photographs and text.

* Krementz, Jill. A Very Young Dancer. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1977. In this
book we meet ten-year-old Stephanie, a student at the School of American
Ballet in New York. She speaks frankly about her rehearsals, auditions, and
her experience performing in The Nutcracker.

* Kuklin, Susan. Going to My Ballet Class. New York: Bradbury Press, 1989.
This photo journalistic book follows seven-year-old Jami through her ballet
class.

* Martin, John Harding. A Day in the Life of a Ballet Dancer. [City?] Troll,
1985. Heather, a professional dancer with the New York City Ballet, leads
the reader through a day in her life including ballet class, rehearsals,
fittings, warm up, and performance.

* Pinkey, Andrea Davis. Alvin Ailey. Illustrated by Brian Pickney. New York:
Hyperion Books for Children, 1995. This biography of Alvin Ailey focuses on
his childhood years in rural Texas. It includes his dance training in Los
Angeles and his move to New York City, where he founded the Alvin Ailey
Dance Company.

* Schomp, Virginia. If You Were a Ballet Dancer. Photographs by Marshall
Cavendish. Publication info? 1997. This book provides an introduction to a
career in ballet. It outlines a professional dancer's day, and briefly
discusses several different ballet styles, costumes, and ballet terminology.

* Simon, Charnon. Evelyn Cisneros: Prima Ballerina. Chicago: Children's
Press, 1990. This book tells the story of the childhood and training of
Evelyn Cisneros, a prominent Hispanic ballerina.

* Sorine, Stephanie Riva. At Every Turn It's Ballet. Photographs by Daniel
S. Sorine. New York: Random House, 1979. This book talks about the
relationship between ballet movement and movements used in everyday life.

* Sorine, Stephanie Riva. Our Ballet Class. Photographs by Daniel S. Sorine.
New York: Random House Inc., 1981. Cordelia guides the reader through her
ballet class. The book describes ballet exercises and rehearsal.

Spatt, Leslie E. Behind the Scenes at the Ballet: Rehearsing and Performing
Sleeping Beauty. [Publication info??], 1997. This photoessay detailing the
behind-the-scenes production of a ballet includes sections on rehearsals,
costumes, lighting, the orchestra, and scenery.

* Thomas, Annabelle. Ballet and Dance. London: Usborne Publishing, 1992. A
guide to the history, style, and basics of different forms of dance
including jazz, modern, ballet, and tap. This book also introduces students
to the various people involved in creating and staging a dance performance.

* Tobias, Tobi. Maria Tallchief, New York: Thomas Y. Cromwell Company, 1970.
A photo biography of famous Native-American ballerina Maria Tallchief.

Varriale, Jim and Eliot Feld. Kids Dance: The Students of Ballet Tech.
[publication info?] 1999. A photojournalistic book about America's only
"public" ballet school. Each year 30,000 students from public schools all
over New York City audition for admission to Ballet Tech. One thousand
receive free ballet training. This book includes quotes and insight on
dancing from Ballet Tech students.

*Zeck, Gerry. I Love to Dance: a True Story About Tony Jones. Minneapolis:
Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1982. Tony Jones is a ten-year-old dancer at the
Minnesota Dance Theater in Minneapolis. Tony talks about his classes,
auditions, performances, his aspirations, and how he handles teasing.

Non-fiction ­ Chapter Books

* Butler, Joan. Ballet for Boys and Girls. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice
Hall Inc. 1979. This book discusses ballet techniques, dancers, ballet
companies, costumes, and the stories of famous ballets.

* Bussell, Darcy. The Young Dancer. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishers
Inc., 1994. This book contains information on elements of ballet such as
stretching, strengthening, barre work, make up, and ballet shoes.

Edom, Helen and Nicola Katrak. Starting Ballet. London: Usborne, 1992. This
book teaches students beginning positions of the arms and legs as well as
stretching, pointing, and jumping techniques.

* Haskins, James. Black Dance in America, a History Through Its People. New
York: Thomas Y. Crowell Junior Books, 1990. A detailed book about
African-American dance culture, including some of the greatest dancers and
dance companies. Covers dance forms from the ritual slave dances to break
dancing.

* Maze/O'Neil, Grace. I Want to Be a Dancer. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co.,
1997. This book contains facts and descriptions on a wide variety of dance
forms including modern, jazz, tap, ballet, ballroom, and folk.

* Werner, Vivian. Ballet: How it All Began. New York: Athenaeum, 1982. This
book follows the history of ballet from its beginnings in 15th-century
France and Italy to the present day.

Fiction - Picture Books

* Auch, Mary Jane. Hen Lake. New York: Holiday House, Inc., 1995. When a
conceited peacock named Percival arrives at the farm, everyone quickly tires
of his bragging. Poulette decides to put Percival in his place by
challenging him to a dancing contest.

Auch, Mary Jane. Peeping Beauty. New York: Holiday House, Inc., 1993.
Poulette the hen discovers that she loves to dance. Through hard work and
perseverance she strives to become a ballerina.

* Berger, Gilda. Magic Slippers: Stories from the Ballet. New York:
Doubleday, 1990. This book contains retellings of the stories from famous
ballets such as La Sylphide, Giselle, and Petrouchka.

Bottner, Barbara. Dumb Old Casey is a Fat Tree. San Francisco: Harper and
Row Publishers, 1979. Casey dreams of starring in her ballet class recital.
Instead she ends up with a minor part as a tree. In the end, Casey learns
that there is a reward for hard work.

* Cleaver, Elizabeth. Petrouchka. New York: Athenaeum, 1980. This retelling
of the ballet Petrouchka includes notes on how the ballet was created and
information about the story's history and characters.

* Diamond, Donna. Swan Lake. New York: Holiday House, 1980. This book
retells the story of the ballet Swan Lake. The introduction includes a brief
history of the story.

* Edwards, Pamela Duncan. Honk! Illustrated by Henry Cole. New York:
Hyperion Books for Children, 1998. Mimi the swan loves to dance and to
attend ballet performances. When she sees Swan Lake, Mimi decides her turn
to dance onstage has come.

Elliot, Donald. Frogs and the Ballet. Illustrated by Clinton Arrowwood.
Ipswich, MA: Gambit, 1979. A humorous book outlining the basic ballet
positions with pencil-drawn frogs.

* Eversole, Roby Harbert. The Magic House. Paintings by Peter Palagonia. New
York: Orchard Books, 1992. This story about two sisters highlights the
importance of imagination in dance.

* Fonteyn, Margot. Coppelia. Illustrated by Leo Coppelia. Delibes, 1998.
This book contains a retelling of the famous ballet about a doll maker and
his attempt to bring his creations to life.

* Fonteyn, Margot. Swan Lake. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. San Diego:
Harcourt Brace, Jovanouch, 1989. A retelling of the famous ballet about a
wicked sorcerer, an enchanted swan, a prince, and the power of true love.

* Gauch, Patricia Lee. Bravo, Tanya. Illustrated by Stomi Khikawa. New York:
Philomel Books, 1992. Tanya must discover a way to learn in ballet class
while dancing to her own beat.

* Gauch, Patricia Lee. Tanya and the Magic Wardrobe. Illustrated by Stomi
Khikawa. New York: Philomel Books, 1997. When Tanya goes to a ballet
performance with her mom and sister, she meets a woman who works in the
costume shop. Through the costumes, Tanya learns the story of the ballet
Coppelia.

* Gauch, Patricia Lee. Tanya and Emily in a Dance for Two. Illustrated by
Stomi Khikawa. New York: Philomel Books, 1994. When Tanya, the smallest and
wiggliest member of her ballet class, meets a talented newcomer, they both
learn something important about dancing and friendship.

* Geras, Adel. Little Swan. Random House, 1999. Seven-year-old Louisa is
delighted when she is asked to play the role of the Little Swan in Swan
Lake.

Gray, Libba Moore. My Momma Had a Dancing Heart. Illustrated by Paul Colon.
New York: Orchard Books, 1995. An adult ballerina is inspired by the dances
she and her mother created when she was a young girl.

* Hautzic, Deborah. The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet. Illustrated by Diane
Goode. New York: Random House, Inc., 1983. This book tells the story of the
classic ballet The Nutcracker with colorful pictures.

* Horosko, Marian. Sleeping Beauty: the Ballet Story. Illustrated by Todd
Dong. Antheneum, 1994. This book contains a scene-by-scene description of
the plot of Sleeping Beauty.

* Isadora, Rachel. Lily at Ballet. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1993.
This book outlines the structure of a ballet class.

* Isadora, Rachel. Lily Backstage. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1997. This
book takes the reader backstage at a ballet production.

* Isadora, Rachel. Max, New York,: MacMillian Publishing Co., 1978. Max
loves to play baseball. One day while walking his sister to dancing class,
he learns a new way to warm up for his Saturday afternoon games.

* Isadora, Rachel. My Ballet Class. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1980. A
young dancer describes a day in her ballet class. This book includes
illustrations of basic ballet movements and an introduction to ballet
terminology.

* Lee, Sandra. Silent Lotus. A young girl who can not speak learns to
communicate through classical Indian dance.

* Marshall, James. Swine Lake. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak, New York:
Harper Collins Publishers, 1999. A wolf in search of dinner attends a pig
production of "Swine Lake". He becomes so engrossed in the ballet that he
forgets he is hungry. His new-found enthusiasm for ballet leads to some
surprising outcomes.

* Medearis, Angela. Dancing with the Indians. Illustrated by Samuel Bird.
Holiday House, 1991. This book tells the story of an African-American
family's visit to a Sioux Pow Wow.

McKissack, Patricia. C. Mirandy and Brother Wind. Illustrated by Jerry
Pinkey. Knoff, 1988. Mirandy is desperate is catch the wind and win the
junior cakewalk dance competition. In the process she learns some valuable
lessons about dancing and friendship.

McMullan, Kate. Nutcracker Noel, Illustrated by Jim McMullan. HarperCollins
Publishers, 1993. Noel uses her imagination, creativity, and sense of humor
to turn a small part in The Nutcracker into her own starring role.

* Pulver, Robin. Alicia's Tutu. Paintings by Mark Graham, New York: Dial
Books, 1997. Alicia is positive she needs a shiny tutu in order to dance.
She learns that dancing comes from inside,and that what you wear isn't as
important as who you are.

* Rosenberg, Jane. Dance Me a Story. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc., 1985.
This book retells the stories from 12 classic ballets including Cinderella,
Romeo and Juliet, and Coppelia.

* Shortt, Tim. The Babe Ruth Ballet School. [publication info?] 1996. This
humorous book chronicles the adventures of the baseball legend and his
friend, nine-year-old Izzy. When Izzy decides to retire from baseball to
concentrate on her dancing, ballet and Yankee Stadium collide.

Tadjo, Veronique. Lord of the Dance: An African Retelling. Harper Collins
Children's Books, 1989. This collection of creatively illustrated poems
uses dance to tell the story of the mask celebration of the Senufo people.

* Vladimir, Vagin. The Nutcracker Ballet. Scholastic, 1995. A retelling of
the classic ballet The Nutcracker.

Verdy, Violette. Of Swans, Sugarplums, and Satin Slippers: Ballet Stories
for Children. Illustrated by Marcia Brown. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1991.
This book retells the stories of several classic ballets including The
Firebird, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle, and Sleeping Beauty. Each
story begins with information about the story's origins and the creators of
the ballet version.

Wallace, Ian. Chin Chang and the Dragon's Dance. New York: Athenaeum, 1984.
Chin Chang fears he is too clumsy to perform the dragon's dance with his
grandfather for the New Year's celebration. Chin finds a special friend to
practice with, and together they learn that dance is possible if you have
the spirit.

FICTION - Chapter Books

* Asher, Sandy. Just Like Jenny. New York: Delacourt Press, 1982. Stephanie
struggles with ballet steps that come easily to her talented friend Jenny.
Gradually competition and jealousy begin to break apart their friendship. In
the end each girl must decide for herself what she values.

* Bottner, Barbara. Bootsie Barker Ballerina. An I Can Read Book, 1998.
When bully Bootsie Barker decides to enroll in ballet class, it is up to
Bernie and Lisa to outwit Bootsie and save the class.

* Carter, Abby. Baseball Ballerina. Illustrations by Kathryn Crisaldi.
Random House Step Into Reading, 1992. A young girl who loves baseball is
afraid her friends will find out that she also takes ballet lessons.

* Charbonnet, Gabrielle. Tutu Much Ballet. Illustrated by Abby Carter. New
York: Henry Holt and Co., 1997. Charlotte is excited to begin gymnastics
lessons with her friends. Charlotte's mom has other plans and signs
Charlotte up for ballet.

* Cohen, Miriam. Born to Dance Samba. Illustrated by Gioia Fiammenghi, New
York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1984. Maria Antonia lives and dreams Samba
in a small village in Brazil. Maria is sure this is the year that she will
be Queen of the Samba at Carnival. When a new rival arrives in town Maria
finds her dream threatened.

* Crayder, Dorothy. The Joker and the Swan. Drawings by Elise Primavera. New
York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1981. Zoe is an 11-year-old aspiring
dancer. After her dance teacher takes her and her rival Tavia to visit the
famous dancer, Anna Pavlova, Tavia is touched with magic and Zoe is failing
in class. Zoe finds herself consumed by jealously and must find out how to
over come it.

* Giff, Patricia Reilly. Dance with Rosie. New York: Penguin Books Inc.,
1996. When eight-year-old Rosie misses the sign up deadline for ballet
class, she looks through an alley window and learns to dance with the class.

* Giff, Patricia Reilly. A Glass Slipper for Rosie. New York: Penguin Books
Inc., 1997. Rosie plans a ballet for her class as a surprise for her
Grandpa. When her Grandpa has to leave on a trip, Rosie must learn how to
deal with disappointment.

* Giff, Patricia Reilly. Rosie's Nutcracker Dreams. New York: Penguin Books
Inc., 1996. Rosie is kicked out of ballet when she hits her rival,
Stephanie, for getting the part Rosie wanted. Rosie learns that it takes
more than good dancing to be a star.

* Giff, Patricia Reilly. Not-So Perfect Rosie. New York: Penguin Books,
1997. When Rosie's cousin comes to visit, Rosie learns that you can't
always be perfect.

* Giff, Patricia Reilly. Starring Rosie. New York: Penguin Books Inc., 1997.
Rosie's ballet class is performing the ballet, Sleeping Beauty, and needs to
find a prince. In charge of the props and the prince, Rosie finds herself
starring in a way she hadn't quite expected.

* Giff, Patricia Reilly. Rosie's Big City Ballet. New York: Penguin Books
Inc., 1998. An artistic director comes to Lynnfield to observe Rosie's
class and choose one student for her adult ballet. Rosie has her heart set
on the part, but doesn't realize that she may get an even better
opportunity.

* Godden, Rumer. Listen to the Nightingale. New York: Penguin Books Ltd.,
1992. Lottie, a promising dancer, has been accepted to the prestigious
Queen's Chase School. Ballet is her first love, and then she meets Prince.
Prince is a lovable dog who teaches Lottie a lesson about balancing her
life.

* Landis, James David. The Sisters Impossible. New York: Knopf, 1979. When
Lily begins to study ballet her haughty older sister is horrified to have a
tag-along. Gradually the sisters learn to get along.

Leggat, Bonnie-Alise. Punt, Pass and Point. 1992. When Amy, the star of the
football team, breaks her arm, her parents insist she give up football and
take up ballet instead.

McLauren, Clememnce. Dance for the Land. 1999. When Kate's family moves
back to Hawaii so that her father can fight for natives' rights, she is
resentful. Her classmates and family tease and ignore her. To top it off she
misses her ballet classes. When Kate has the chance to learn the hula she
rediscovers her love of dance and begins to understand the importance of her
roots.

* Robinson, Nancy. Ballet Magic. Illustrated by Karen Loccisano. Chicago:
Albert Whitman and Co., 1981. Stacey is struggling with the effects of a
growth spurt in ballet class. Through her classes and a performance of The
Nutcracker, Stacey learns that attitude is the most important element of
dance, and to be tall can also mean to be graceful.

Simon, Marcia L. A Special Gift. New York: Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich,
date?. Peter loves to dance and play basketball. Afraid that his teammates
will tease him, Peter keeps his ballet classes a secret. When he wins a
role in The Nutcracker, Peter realizes he will have to come to terms with
his double life.

* Streatfeild, Noel. Ballet Shoes. Illustrated by Diane Goode. New York:
Random House Inc., 1937. Three young orphans study ballet with the help of
a wealthy benefactor. Through their experiences, they learn about themselves
and decide if dancing is right for them.

* Swift, Carolyn. The Little Swans Fly East. Illustrated by Carol Betera,
Guernsy Ireland: The Guernsey Press Ltd., 1995. Bernie and six other
dancers set out from their homes in Ireland to train in a Russian Ballet
School.

* Tamar, Erika. Alphabet City. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1996.
Marisol, a girl from Puerto Rico, is living a dream when she wins a
scholarship to dancing school. Everything changes when violence breaks out
in her neighborhood. Marisol is faced with some hard decisions when her
family is threatened.

Wolff, Ferida. Pink Slippers, Bar Mitzvah Blues. 1995. Now that her Bat
Mitzvah is over, a young dancer can concentrate on what she loves
best,ballet. However, when a friend becomes seriously ill, the young dancer
must make some tough decisions.

* Yep, Laurence. Amah. [publication info??] Amy begins to feel like the
wicked stepsister she is playing in her ballet studio's production of
Cinderella when her widowed mother takes a job as a nanny. This book
explores intergenerational and intercultural conflict in a Chinese-American
family.

* Yep, Laurence. Ribbons. New York: GP Putnam's Sons, 1992. Robin loves
ballet more than anything but never has a chance to express it since no one
will listen. Her family is concentrating on bringing her grandmother from
China to America. Robin resents her cold grandmother until she gets to know
her and learns that she has more in common with her grandma than she thinks.