At the age of three, Michaela DePrince found a photo of a ballerina that changed her life. She was living in an orphanage in Sierra Leone at the time, but was soon adopted by a family and brought to America. Michaela never forgot the photo of the dancer she once saw, and decided to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true.

She has been dancing ever since, and after a spell as a principal dancer in New York, now dances for the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.

Beautifully and gently illustrated by Ella Okstad, Ballerina Dreams is the younger-reader edition of Michaela DePrince's highly moving memoir, Hope In A Ballet Shoe.

Discover the spellbinding magic of Swan Lake in this musical retelling of the ballet - push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Tchaikovsky's score. This tale of a prince, a beautiful swan princess and an evil sorcerer begins in a woodland clearing far, far away. It is Prince Siegfried's 21st birthday. He is playing games with his friends when his mother, the Queen, arrives to tell him he needs to stop having fun and start looking after the kingdom. Prince Siegfried dreams of running away. He follows an enchanting flock of swans to a clearing by a lake, where four of the little cygnets begin to dance. The most beautiful swan transforms into the Princess Odette, who tells him that she has been cursed to turn into a swan by day and return to her natural form at night by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. As the prince and Odette dance, they begin to fall in love. The story follows Prince Siegfried as he attends his birthday party, is tricked into proposing to Von Rothbart's daughter Odile and returns to the lake to battle the evil sorcerer. Will the prince be reunited with his swan princess? As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the ballet's music. Readers should press firmly on the pages to activate the sounds, encouraging interactive learning and introducing children to this beautiful piece of music. At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with details about his composition of Swan Lake. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms. The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet, opera and program music stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores. With The Story Orchestra keyboard sound books, children can play the famous melodies themselves with the sound of a real grand piano. Also available from the Story Orchestra series: The Magic Flute, I Can Play (vol 1), Carnival of the Animals, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Four Seasons in One Day. Manufacturer's note: please pull the white tab out of the back of the book before use. Sound buttons require a firm push in exact location to work, which may be hard for young children. All sound clips are 10 seconds long. The perfect primer to introduce children to classical music.

Love fairy tales? Love animals? Love laugh-out-loud storytelling? Look no further! Cindergorilla loves to dance. She longs to go to the Saturday Night Disco Ball, where the other gorillas strut their stuff, but her horrid aunt and cousins, Gertrude and Grace always say no. Instead Cindergorilla must stay home and do the housework! But all that changes when Cinder gets a visit from her Hairy Godmother . . . The second hilarious title in a fun-filled fairytale series with empowering messages for young readers! Perfect for fans of The Fairytale Hairdresser and The Lion Inside series. Look out for: Rabunzel Coming soon: Snowy White

A behind-the-scenes tour of the magnificent Royal Opera House in London, thirty minutes before curtain up, led by Figaro the cat. It's opening night of The Nutcracker, and the performers at the Royal Opera House in London are busy getting ready to step out onto the stage. Meanwhile, Figaro - the opera house's resident cat - is poised to take readers on a behind-the-scenes tour to meet the many people working to make tonight's performance a resounding success. This backstage tour of the Royal Opera House takes readers from department to department to discover what's involved in putting on a performance such as The Nutcracker. Featuring examples from key works of opera and ballet, highlights of the tour include trying on the Mad Hatter's wig from Alice in Wonderland; practising for a fighting scene from Romeo and Juliet; putting the finishing touches on the Sugar Plum Fairy's tutu; learning to 'play dead'; and creating explosions on stage. Including an introduction to a classical orchestra, key ballet terms and basic stage directions, the book encourages readers to explore the many ways they can get involved.

Are you ready to do the unicorn dance? This magical novelty book is guaranteed to get little children moving. It features a different group of dancing unicorns on each page, with a lively tune for children to dance along to. The inviting text explains one very simple dance move to go with each tune, and then at the end they put them all together and do the whole dance while the unicorns neigh and sparkle.

It's time for Mr Potato's Super Fantastic Dance Competition! Peppa, Suzy Sheep, Mandy Mouse and Rebecca Rabbit can't wait to perform their dance. Will they win a prize? And can Peppa persuade Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig to join in, too? Peppa and George love dancing. Everyone loves dancing!

Peek behind the curtain and find the Ballet Bunnies in this new full-color chapter book series featuring the most darling dancers you will ever meet! Miss Luisa's School of Dance is a magical place. There are dancers and music. . . and bunnies that talk and do ballet! No one knows the bunnies are there. Then, Millie arrives. She's new to ballet class and doesn't know all the moves. But when all the other dancers are gone, she discovers the Ballet Bunnies! They can help Millie find her dancing feet--so long as she can keep the Ballet Bunnies a secret! Don't miss the next act! Ballet Bunnies #2: Let's Dance

Hope in a Ballet Shoe tells the story of Michaela DePrince. Growing up in war-torn Sierra Leone, she witnessed atrocities that no child ever should. Her father was killed by rebels and her mother died of famine. Sent to an orphanage, Michaela was mistreated and saw the brutal murder of her favourite teacher. Then Michaela and her best friend are adopted by an American couple, and Michaela begins to take dance lessons. But life in the States isn't without difficulties. Unfortunately, tragedy can find its way to Michaela in America, too, and her past can feel like it's haunting her. The world of ballet is a racist one, and Michaela has to fight for a place amongst the ballet elite, hearing the words 'America's not ready for a black girl ballerina.' And yet . . . Today, Michaela DePrince is an international ballet star, dancing for The Dutch National Ballet at the age of nineteen. This is a heart-breaking, inspiring autobiography by a teenager who shows us that, beyond everything, there is always hope for a better future.

The classic bestselling picture book Angelina and the Princess is back in a beautiful, refreshed hardcover edition perfect for Angelina fans new and old! Angelina hopes to dance the starring role in an upcoming performance for the Royal Ballet, but instead is cast in a tiny part. She is so disappointed that she wants to quit ballet. Eventually, though, she decides to work hard for her friends in the performance. Angelina's decision leads to an unexpected turn of events-and a happy ending for everyone!

Angelina Ballerina trades ballet slippers for ice skates in this sweet original board book featuring a sparkly foil cover-a perfect winter gift for young dancers and skaters alike! It is the first day of winter, which means one thing for Angelina: ice-skating at Miller's Pond! Then she finds out that the rink is closed because of snow. Has Angelina missed her chance to twirl across the ice? (c) 2020 Helen Craig Ltd and Katharine Holabird. The Angelina Ballerina name and character and the dancing Angelina logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited, Katharine Holabird, and Helen Craig.

Lyrical, inspiring, and affecting text paired with bright, appealing illustrations make Ready to Fly perfect for aspiring ballerinas everywhere who are ready to leap and to spread their wings! Ready to Fly is the true story of Sylvia Townsend, an African American girl who falls in love with ballet after seeing Swan Lake on TV. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share at home or in the classroom. Although there aren't many ballet schools that will accept a girl like Sylvia in the 1950s, her local bookmobile provides another possibility. A librarian helps Sylvia find a book about ballet and the determined seven-year-old, with the help of her new books, starts teaching herself the basics of classical ballet. Soon Sylvia learns how to fly-how to dance-and how to dare to dream. Includes a foreword from Sylvia Townsend, a brief history of the bookmobile, an author's note, and a further reading list.

This is an account of a search for ways to teach dance to the profoundly deaf in a variety of schools and settings. The author describes the methods and games she devised with the children to heighten their awareness of rhythm, music and the breath inherent in every dance movement. This work shows the author's gradual realization that knowledge of music is the basis for dance teaching, and that this knowledge can also enhance the training of hearing dancers. This concept led the author to the conviction that, for the hearing as well as for the deaf, dance and music can be an alternative way of knowing, and an opportunity for children to learn to express their unarticulated feelings and thoughts, to communicate, to socialise and to explore the world in which they live. A video cassette is also available.

The world is big. Anna is small. The snow is everywhere and all around. But one night . . .One night, her mother takes her to the ballet, and everything is changed. Anna finds a beauty inside herself that she cannot contain. So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous prima ballerina of all time, inspiring legions of dancers after her: the brave, the generous, the transcendently gifted Anna Pavlova. Beautiful, inspirational, and triumphant, Anna Pavlova's life is masterfully captured in this exquisite picture book.

Pirouette into Angelina Ballerina's enchanting world with this adorable board book about Angelina's wonderful day--a day full of dancing! Today is a dancing day for Angelina! She brushes her teeth while practicing her plies, she points her toes while she eats breakfast, and she leaps across the schoolyard. Soon it's her favorite time of day--ballet class! But the dancing doesn't stop there...Angelina's family takes her to a real ballet performance with many more special treats to follow. It is a cozy end to a very happy day because the only thing better than dancing is being with family! (c) 2020 Helen Craig Ltd and Katharine Holabird. The Angelina Ballerina name and character and the dancing Angelina logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited, Katharine Holabird, and Helen Craig.

Grab your very own VIP access pass and enter the wonderful world of the ballet theatre. Have you ever wondered how ballet dancers stay strong and avoid injury? Or how the magical scenes on stage are created by the set department? Step behind the scenes of the ballet theatre with your very own access-all-areas invitation to find out. Discover how stunning costumes are designed and see the thousands of shoes stored in the shoe room. Watch the dancers put on dramatic makeup, elaborate wigs and headdresses to create their characters. Discover the magic and wonder of performance night as the dancers prepare to dance Swan Lake. As you turn the pages you'll read the stories of other famous ballets such as The Nutcracker and The Firebird. With beautifully intricate illustrations, you'll discover more wonderful details each time you return.

Peppa and George are going to Ireland for an Irish-dancing festival! But when the band forget their instruments, will Peppa and her family be able to save the day? This brand-new story features a glittery cover and is the perfect introduction to Ireland for little Peppa fans.

Discover the joy of dancing and the importance of family, whatever your culture, ability or style with Luna, by award-winning Waterstones Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho, the third book in the Luna Loves... series. When Luna dances, she feels like the world's volume turns up, like all colours brighten, like sunlight sparkles behind every cloud. But when she takes her dance exam she ducks, dives, spins and... falls. Luna thinks she can't be a real dancer now. Can Luna's family convince her otherwise? Celebrate every culture and every style of dance with Luna, featuring a glorious fold out carnival page. Other books in the Luna Loves... series: Luna Loves Library Day Luna Loves Art Luna Loves Books

Follow Clara on a magical Christmas adventure in this musical retelling of The Nutcracker ballet - push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Tchaikovsky's original score. It is Christmas Eve at Clara's house. Scents of ginger, chocolate and peppermint waft through the air. Clara's parents are having a party, and her little brother Fritz is decorating the Christmas tree. Clara's godfather, a toymaker, arrives with gifts, including a very special one for her - a wooden nutcracker carved in the shape of a little man. After Fritz breaks it, the children are sent to bed. The story follows Clara in her dreams as she battles and defeats a mouse king, then travels with her nutcracker-turned-prince to the Land of Sweets where she watches its enchanting inhabitants perform beautiful dances. As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the ballet's music, including 'The Waltz of the Flowers', 'The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy', 'The Russian Dance', and the awesome 'Finale'. Readers should press firmly on the pages to activate the sound board at the back of the book, encouraging interactive learning and introducing children to this beautiful piece of music. At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with details about his composition of The Nutcracker ballet. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms. The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet, opera and program music stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores. With The Story Orchestra keyboard sound books, children can play the famous melodies themselves with the sound of a real grand piano. Also available from the Story Orchestra series: The Magic Flute, I Can Play (vol 1), Carnival of the Animals, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Four Seasons in One Day. Manufacturer's note: please pull the white tab out of the back of the book before use. Sound buttons require a firm push in exact location to work, which may be hard for young children. All sound clips are 10 seconds long. The perfect primer to introduce children to classical music.

Dress and accessorize all the different DANCERS in this beautiful My Sticker Dress-Up activity book! Children will enjoy screen-free fun with this amazing sticker book that encourages hours of unlimited imagination and play. Features a variety of dancers and dance styles including ballet, jazz, and tap. With 5 pages of reusable stickers, children will love exploring their creativity by creating their own outfits, scenes, and, of course...STYLE! Contains over 350 reusable stickers for multiple dress-up options Costumes and accessories can be used on multiple figures so children experience unlimited creativity Makes a wonderful birthday gift, holiday stocking stuffer, Easter basket stuffer, or any celebration gift