In a world that prizes small over large, Vashti Harrison with special, effective illustrations stages a ballerina's transformation that shows the hurt insensitive opinions cause and how to give them back.
Characters: A nameless, size large, dark-skinned girl and her classmates, teachers, Santa, and other community members.
Themes: self-love, acceptance
Conflict: The inability to control your genetics and how society values specific biological features more than others.
Plot: An adorable baby with big ballerina dreams enters the world.
She grows and grows and grows until she no longer fits the image of a premier ballerina. Her community tries to "help," causing her to feel unworthy and rejected.
She grows some more and gives back the hurtful words about her largeness, but some don't listen and that's ok because she has learned to love the girl she was born to be.
Perspective: a third-person poetic narration with speech bubbles
Setting: A ballet stage
Picture Book Reviews
ISBN-13 | 0316353221 |
Publisher | Little Brown Books |
Publication Date | May 2023 |
Page | 60 |
Age | 4 to 8 |