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On Your Toes |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
 Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
006050238X |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-This lovely book provides a dreamy look at the world of ballet. A multiculturally diverse group of boys and girls prance and pose through the alphabet, demonstrating grace, drama, and dedication. Specific terms are used, such as "Deeveloppee" "En pointe," and "Pas de chat" but other word choices, such as "Kiss," "Sleep," and "Zipper," are much more generic. A glossary explains the significance of the chosen words and/or the ballet to which they refer (for example, the image for K shows Titania, Queen of the Fairies, kissing the donkey in A Midsummer Night's Dream). The charming, full-page illustrations done in colored pastels capture the luminescence of this art form. Young children studying ballet will appreciate the art and may know the Firebird or who Odette is, but others will need... |
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Sophie Skates |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0698119053 |
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| Availability: |
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From Publishers Weekly
Isadora (Lili at Ballet) opens the window on another discipline with this engaging and informative book. Eight-year-old Sophie has set her sights on becoming a professional ice skater, devoting five mornings and three afternoons a week to lessons at the rink, and now she prepares for a competition. The story line gracefully shares space with watercolor sidebars that give behind-the-scenes background (for example, the proper way to tie a skate, the types of clothes skaters wear, how to get up after a fall). A master at capturing bodies in motion, Isadora also delineates the various moves, from backward wiggles ("Move your hips from side to side and pretend you're a puppy wagging your tail") to laybacks, toe loops and spins. There's even a little ballet tucked in, as Sophie takes two ballet lessons a week. Perhaps... |
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Lili at Ballet |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0698114086 |
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| Availability: |
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From Publishers Weekly
Who can resist a peek at young artists in training? Isadora gifts her heroine, Lily, with a quintessential combination of dreams and determination, then allows us to sit in on the ballet class that Lili attends four times a week. Lili and fellow students model their dance wardrobes, demonstrate their exercises and steps, and imagine themselves dancing celebrated roles in a number of ballets. Each new element, be it a practice tutu, one of the five basic positions or a movement like a passe en pointe, receives its own illustration and is captioned in unornamented cursive script. Budding balletomanes will especially enjoy the detailed discussion of the ever-wondrous pointe shoe; another welcome section focuses on a class just for boys. Two depictions of full-scale ballet productions expand to fill entire spreads... |
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On Your Toes |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
006050241X |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 3-4 days. |
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-This lovely book provides a dreamy look at the world of ballet. A multiculturally diverse group of boys and girls prance and pose through the alphabet, demonstrating grace, drama, and dedication. Specific terms are used, such as "Deeveloppee" "En pointe," and "Pas de chat" but other word choices, such as "Kiss," "Sleep," and "Zipper," are much more generic. A glossary explains the significance of the chosen words and/or the ballet to which they refer (for example, the image for K shows Titania, Queen of the Fairies, kissing the donkey in A Midsummer Night's Dream). The charming, full-page illustrations done in colored pastels capture the luminescence of this art form. Young children studying ballet will appreciate the art and may know the Firebird or who Odette is, but others will need... |
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Ben's Trumpet, Vol. 1 |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0688109888 |
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| Availability: |
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From Publishers Weekly
Featuring stunning, evocative black-and-white art, this Caldecott Honor book concerns a boy growing up in the 1920s who aspires to be a jazz musician--"Ben thinks the trumpeter is the cat's meow." Ages 4-8. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-By Rachel Isadora. Original jazz music underscores the narration of this Caldecott Honor Book about a young boy's yearning to play the trumpet just like the musicians that he hears at the Zig Zag Club.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
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Max |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0020438001 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Description
ALA Notable Children's BookInternational Reading Association Classroom ChoiceA Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social StudiesMax is a crack baseball player. Saturday mornings he walks with his sister, Lisa, to her dancing school on his way to the park for his weekly game. One morning Max is early, and Lisa's teacher invites him to join the class. Max stretches at the barre. He struggles for a split. And before he knows it, he's having fun! Young ballplayers and ballet dancers will share Max's delight when he discovers that dance class is a great way to warm up for a home run.
Card catalog description
Max finds a new way to warm up for his Saturday baseball game--his sister's dancing class.
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In the Small, Small Night |
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| Author: |
Jane Kurtz |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0066238137 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2 - An affecting story about family love and finding the courage to face new situations. Abena wakes to discover her younger brother, Kofi, in her bed. He can't sleep, afraid that a giant mampan lizard has followed him to America from Ghana. He's afraid, too, that he will forget the grandmother and cousins he left behind. Abena comforts him with two Ashanti tales. In the first, Anansi thinks he has collected all of the world's wisdom in a jar, only to learn that it can come from a young child. In the second tale, Vulture learns from slow-moving Turtle that, "When you think you are laughing at somebody else, that somebody turns out to be yourself...."Afterward, Abena confesses that she is worried about her new classmates. Kofi reminds her of Turtle's quiet perseverance, and the girl is... |
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Little Match Girl |
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| Author: |
Hans Christian Andersen |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0698114175 |
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| Availability: |
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From Publishers Weekly
With their swirling snowflakes and meticulous period details, Isadora's paintings capture the essence of Andersen's story of a forlorn heroine. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-As he did with The Ugly Duckling (Morrow, 1999), Pinkney has adapted and interpreted one of Andersen's classic tales with gorgeous watercolor illustrations. The artist conveys the details of this New Year's Eve story so splendidly that readers may not realize that the little girl is dying. The sumptuous sights she imagines once she begins striking her matches for warmth are a stark contrast to the freezing child, and readers may well be relieved when they see her being... |
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In the Small, Small Night |
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| Author: |
Jane Kurtz |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0066238145 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2 - An affecting story about family love and finding the courage to face new situations. Abena wakes to discover her younger brother, Kofi, in her bed. He can't sleep, afraid that a giant mampan lizard has followed him to America from Ghana. He's afraid, too, that he will forget the grandmother and cousins he left behind. Abena comforts him with two Ashanti tales. In the first, Anansi thinks he has collected all of the world's wisdom in a jar, only to learn that it can come from a young child. In the second tale, Vulture learns from slow-moving Turtle that, "When you think you are laughing at somebody else, that somebody turns out to be yourself...."Afterward, Abena confesses that she is worried about her new classmates. Kofi reminds her of Turtle's quiet perseverance, and the girl is... |
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At the Crossroads |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0688131034 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- All over the world, children look forward to their parents' return from work. The perspective of this universal anticipation is expanded in this lively portrayal of young children in a South African village eagerly awaiting their fathers' homecoming after ten months of working in the mines. The celebration begins early in the morning, builds throughout the day, and is subdued but sustained until the following dawn when the men finally arrive at the village crossroads. The lifestyle and the setting are observed honestly and sensitively, without romanticism or sensationalism, as adults go about their daily routines and children fashion homemade musical instruments from salvaged scraps. The rhythm and repetition of the simple text evoke the jubilation and expectant mood of the children and... |
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The Little Match Girl |
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| Author: |
Hans Christian Andersen |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0399213368 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 3-4 days. |
From Publishers Weekly
Andersen's tale about a little girl who's afraid to go home because she hasn't sold enough matches is a classic. The little girl, bareheaded and barefoot, curls up in a corner, lighting match after match to warm herself. In the flames she sees visions; in the final one, her grandmother appears and lifts the little girl into heaven. With muted blues, grays and browns, Isadora captures the mood of a snowy Victorian winter reminiscent of Dickens's A Christmas Carol. With these illustrations, coupled with superb book design, the artist has surpassed even the splendid art in her previous books. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-As he did with The Ugly Duckling (Morrow, 1999), Pinkney has adapted and... |
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Sam and the Tigers |
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| Author: |
Julius Lester |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0140562885 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
In the original story by Helen Bannerman, Little Black Sambo must tread carefully, lest his clothes be stolen from him by a gang of tigers. Today, it is the teller of the tale who must tread carefully, lest the forces of political correctness attack, charging racism. Because of the names she chose for her characters, the book has become a symbol of intolerance in the century since it was written. Strip away race, however, and the tale underneath is both simple and affecting. To make it more palatable to modern readers, Julius Lester has recast the tale in a "Southern black storytelling voice."
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Troubled by the racist trappings?the characters' names and the stereotypical illustrations?of The... |
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Nick Plays Baseball |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0399232311 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From Publishers Weekly
HIsadora (Sophie Skates) heads for the baseball diamond in her latest exploration of sports. Neatly sandwiching nonfiction nuggets into a story about a boy named Nick, his teammates on the Rockets (girls as well as boys) and a championship game, Isadora serves up a lively and informative pastiche. While Nick and his friend Ben warm up for the big game, for instance, captioned spot art shows and identifies the various components of their uniforms; on the facing page, a host of other equipment, from batting helmet to catcher's gear, comes in for the same treatment. As she chronicles the championship game and its triumphant conclusion for the Rockets, Isadora scrutinizes everything from skills and drills to scoring, practice techniques, "Rules to Abide By" ("Never argue with the umpire"), the various positions and... |
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Lili at Ballet |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0399224238 |
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| Availability: |
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From Publishers Weekly
Who can resist a peek at young artists in training? Isadora gifts her heroine, Lily, with a quintessential combination of dreams and determination, then allows us to sit in on the ballet class that Lili attends four times a week. Lili and fellow students model their dance wardrobes, demonstrate their exercises and steps, and imagine themselves dancing celebrated roles in a number of ballets. Each new element, be it a practice tutu, one of the five basic positions or a movement like a passe en pointe, receives its own illustration and is captioned in unornamented cursive script. Budding balletomanes will especially enjoy the detailed discussion of the ever-wondrous pointe shoe; another welcome section focuses on a class just for boys. Two depictions of full-scale ballet productions expand to fill entire spreads... |
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Bring on That Beat |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
039923232X |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From Publishers Weekly
Some false notes won't keep most kids from enjoying Isadora's (Ben's Trumpet) tribute to the jazz that filled the streets of 1930s Harlem. Rather uninspired rhymed couplets make up the text: "Bring on that beat,/ Wake up the street./ Saxophone jive,/ keep us alive." Yet the visuals succeed in bringing the era to life. Full-spread black-and-white oil paintings depict a humming Harlem whose residents are seen either making or enjoying music. Small, electric-hued watercolor designs, laid over these scenes with the use of a computer, represent the tunes emanating from a variety of instruments played from stoop and rooftop. Though younger readers may have trouble making the connection between musical strains and these multicolored freeform shapes, the vivid splashes jazz up the otherwise muted graphics and express the... |
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White Stallion |
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| Author: |
Elizabeth Shub |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440412927 |
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| Availability: |
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Card catalog description
Carried away from her wagon train in Texas in 1845 by the old mare she is riding, a little girl is befriended by a white stallion.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Peekaboo Morning |
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| Author: |
Rachel Isadora |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0399236023 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From Publishers Weekly
A toddler greets the day with games of peekaboo in Isadora's (Nick Plays Baseball) ebullient offering. Rendered in thick, silky pastels, the opening spread introduces an African-American child snuggling in bed, looking straight out of the picture. In the background, the sun beams through the open window, softens the edges of the child's deep black hair and shines light on his or her face. "Peekaboo! I see..." reads the generously sized, toddler-friendly type. "My mommy" appears on the following page, where the child, on the mother's lap, exchanges adoring gazes with her. From this point, recto-page illustrations, set into wide blank borders, show the child initiating the game (e.g., the child, peering over the edge of a white surface, cries "Peekaboo! I see..."), and full-bleed pictures opposite complete the act... |
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Flossie and the Fox |
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| Author: |
Patricia C. McKissack |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0803702507 |
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| Availability: |
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From Publishers Weekly
Flossie carefully stores her straw doll in a hollow tree stump when Big Mama calls her away from play. She wants Flossie to deliver eggs to "Miz Viola over at the McCutchin Place. Seem like they been troubled by a fox. Miz Viola's chickens be so scared, they can't even now lay a stone." Flossie has never seen a fox, but sets off through the shady, cool woods. When she meets the fox, she doesn't recognize him, and so introduces herself. He identifies himself, but Flossie doesn't believe him. He points out his thick fur. "Feels like rabbit fur to me," Flossie replies. "You a rabbit." The fox notes his long pointed nose, and Flossie decides that rats have similar noses. "You a rat trying to pass yo'self off as a fox." The fox desperately tries to persuade Flossie of his identity. She just keeps walking, until they... |
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