written by Allegra Kent with art by Robin Preiss-Glassner (jP Kent)
Not having kids of my own, I don’t
often read juvenile picture books. But sometimes, the art on one of them is so
compelling that I can’t help but indulge. That was the case with Grand Jeté and Me.
This gorgeous picture book was
written by Allegra Kent, who danced for 30 years as a prima ballerina with the
New York City Ballet. The illustrations are by Robin Preiss Glasser, the artist
responsible for the incredibly popular series of “Fancy Nancy” picture books.
A(n unnamed) young girl is dropped
off by her mother for a day out with her grandmother, whom she calls Grand Jeté
— since the grandmother was a former prima ballerina. Grand Jeté and
granddaughter fix lunch, get dressed up, and head out of her apartment to
attend a performance of “The Nutcracker” at the New York City Ballet. At every
step along the way, they use ballet movements, which Grand Jete explains to the
granddaughter, and during the ballet, the granddaughter narrates the plot of
The Nutcracker for us, the reader.
Grand Jeté and Me is a truly beautiful book, and
the love between the characters shines through Glasser’s illustrations. Kent’s
simple, yet effective, explanations for complex ballet terminology make this an
excellent introduction to the world of classical dance for young readers. I
really loved this book, and I highly recommend it for both ballet fans and for
those looking for charming stories of grandparents and grandkids interacting!
(If you enjoy this, you may also
wish to try Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor, with illustrations by Robin
Preiss Glasser, or Allegra Kent’s earlier picture books (with other artists), Ballerina Swan and Ballerina Gets Ready.)
( publisher’s official Grand Jete and Me web page ) | ( Allegra Kent
page on Wikipedia ) | ( Robin
Preiss-Glassner page on Wikipedia )
Recommended
by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
Have you read or listened to
this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
New reviews appear every month on the Staff
Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that
page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog
individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the
reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment