Friday, March 15, 2013

Miss LIna's Ballerinas for Picture Book Friday

It's all ballet for Picture Book Friday!  While my daughter gave up dance class for soccer and ballet shoes for cleats long ago, I can't help feeling whimsical for the days she would dress up in a tutu and perform for us.

However, she still enjoys these books so I get my fix reading to her.  The book I am highlighting this week provides so much more than just pretty in pink!  It begins ushering in early math concepts as well as introducing kids to some more advanced vocabulary.  Who doesn't love a book that uses the words, "abashed, baffled, befuddled, flummoxed and flustered." A wealth of great lessons in a delightful book offering.

Title:       Miss Lina’s Ballerinas

Author:   Grace Maccarone

Target:    Preschool - Grade 2

Series:     Yes

What this book is about:
In the lovely town of Messina, eight ballerinas study dance with Miss Lena.  They work in perfect harmony until one day a new ballerina, Regina, joins the group.  With nine dancers, every thing is thrown off and chaos ensues.  Can they find harmony once again?

Why I love this book:
Oh, there are so many reasons to love this story.  The rhyme and cadence of this book make it a lovely read aloud.  It flows off the tongue.  The illustrations are pink, without feeling like you arrived in the land of bubble gum, and the drawings are charming without being over the top.  

I just love that Maccarone has included some early math skills in the book as the girls divide themselves into new rows, based on their new member.  There is also a nice message of finding solutions to problems through inclusion.

Who this book is for:
This is a girly book, and girls who love ballet and pink will find this story charming.  Parents will enjoy that there are bigger messages and that it has a beautiful parisian appeal to it.

Final thoughts:
A delight of story!

To purchase this book, click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Miss Lina's Ballerinas  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog.

I have also included the video for this book, which I found quite lovely!


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