Invitation to Ballet: A Celebration of Dance and Degas, by Carolyn Vaughn and Rachel Isadora, is a great new addition to your ballet bookshelf. This book will be enjoyed by elementary age students as well as useful for children's ballet teachers.
Invitation to Ballet includes both Degas artwork as well as Rachel Isadora's playful images of young dancers. Like many introductory ballet books, the format of the book includes two-page spreads on various topics, such as: The Five Positions, At the Barre, Making the Leap, Toe Shoes and Tutus, and Famous Ballets. The layout of the book is clear and beautiful with a nice balance of text, images, and text boxes called "A Good Point."
Enthusiastic young students will enjoy reading the book on their own. I also encourage children's ballet teachers to consider reading the book over the course of a semester with your class – reading a two-page spread (ie one topic) each week as a nice introduction and calming activity for the class.
Purchase the book through Powell's Books or through the Metropolitan Museum of Art Online Store.
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