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valentineslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
I used this to teach prose and poetry to a fourth grade class and I think it worked well. The mix of prose and lyrical poetry will get them thinking about the difference. There are so many uses with this book as well such as teaching about black history or women’s history.
calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
This story is set in the 50s and the main character is a girl and her mother who works backstage for the ballet. The girl dreams of being a ballerina, but at this time, she isn’t allowed to because of her skin. Yet, she yearns and dreams of being on stage. She has a natural gift and the teachers notice her backstage doing the dance and lets her in the back of the class. She has good form.
Then, on November 13, 1951 Janet Collins performs as the lead in the Metropolitan Opera and this is historically accurate. It gives the girl hope and a fierce dream that she too can be a star.
The poetry is beautiful and it’s told as a lullaby. The colors are beautiful and the book hangs on hope. Anyone with a dream will appreciate this story.
Then, on November 13, 1951 Janet Collins performs as the lead in the Metropolitan Opera and this is historically accurate. It gives the girl hope and a fierce dream that she too can be a star.
The poetry is beautiful and it’s told as a lullaby. The colors are beautiful and the book hangs on hope. Anyone with a dream will appreciate this story.
wordnerd153's review against another edition
4.0
Inspiring story about a girl who works hard to make her ballet dream come true. Good for talking to kids about growth mindset and the history of segregation in our country.
kenziem's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book from the soft, telling pictures to the hopeful story. It also served as a history lesson for African American recent history (needing to sit on the back of the bus, not being able to dance in ballet with the white girls, etc.) and it highlights the extraordinary effort and talent of Janet Collins. Perhaps my favorite things were the exemplification of the view that wishing on stars may be nice, but it is hope and hard work that make dreams come true. My second favorite thing is the picture where the little ballerina is dreaming her dreams and the edges of the picture become colored almost like rainbows, and if you look closely you can see that the mother's thread is colored the same as the daughter's dreams highlighting the need to work hard to sew your dreams into reality.
csd17's review against another edition
4.0
Just lovely art and, on top of that, it's a beautiful story about dreams overcoming racism.
kaitwells's review against another edition
4.0
From my review on DiverseKidsBooks.org:
follows the aspirations of one little girl in Harlem in the 1950s. Told in lyrical prose, the reader learns that the unnamed African-American girl spends her afternoons dancing backstage at the dance school her mother works at. She spends her evenings wishing upon unseen New York stars for a dream most consider unthinkable during this era. Still, every single day she practices her pliés and chassés with fervor.
One day, her backstage routine catches the eye of the Ballet Master himself. He invites her to join in on a daily lesson with the white girls in the class (in the back row), although she’ll never be able to perform onstage with them. Since joining the class, she pushes herself harder to be the best ballerina she can be. And whenever she’s asked to demonstrate a movement for the whole class, the little girl thinks for a fleeting moment that even a “colored girl like me” could become a prima ballerina someday.
Proving her aspirations correct, the girl’s mother does something worthwhile. As a gift, the girl’s mother spends half of her savings on two tickets to the Metropolitan Opera House featuring the one person who’s sure to ignite even more passion into her daughter’s little heart: Janet Collins. (Collins, who was a multiracial black woman of Creole heritage, was the first African-American prima ballerina of the Metropolitan Opera, and one of the few black women to become renowned in American classical ballet.) The girl is so overwhelmed by Collins’s breathtaking performance that she cries, “dripping all [her] dreams onto [her] Sunday dress” and imagines herself dancing onstage alongside the prima ballerina. At the end of the night, after the audience cheers and applauds for a “colored girl” the protagonist knows she’s “got dreams coming true.”
Matching the beauty of this story, the mixed-media illustrations feature a pastel color pallet, which was created using a subtractive process. The colors in each illustration are calm, allowing the characters’ movements and emotions to shine through. Instead of painting exaggerations or two-dimensional characters on the page, the artist chose to make three-dimensional likenesses of all of the characters in the book, including the little African-American girl, who has full lips, a wide-set nose and a fuzzy head of hair. Thus, this is one book in which the illustrations are truly reflective human physicality and children reading the book will easily identify with the characters on the page.
Ultimately, A Dance Like Starlight reminds us all that with hard work and perseverance, any dream can become a reality, no matter the color of your skin or the restrictions of your society. After witnessing Collins’ inspiring performance, the little unnamed girl believes her dreams are possible for her to attain. And isn’t that something every child should believe?
follows the aspirations of one little girl in Harlem in the 1950s. Told in lyrical prose, the reader learns that the unnamed African-American girl spends her afternoons dancing backstage at the dance school her mother works at. She spends her evenings wishing upon unseen New York stars for a dream most consider unthinkable during this era. Still, every single day she practices her pliés and chassés with fervor.
One day, her backstage routine catches the eye of the Ballet Master himself. He invites her to join in on a daily lesson with the white girls in the class (in the back row), although she’ll never be able to perform onstage with them. Since joining the class, she pushes herself harder to be the best ballerina she can be. And whenever she’s asked to demonstrate a movement for the whole class, the little girl thinks for a fleeting moment that even a “colored girl like me” could become a prima ballerina someday.
Proving her aspirations correct, the girl’s mother does something worthwhile. As a gift, the girl’s mother spends half of her savings on two tickets to the Metropolitan Opera House featuring the one person who’s sure to ignite even more passion into her daughter’s little heart: Janet Collins. (Collins, who was a multiracial black woman of Creole heritage, was the first African-American prima ballerina of the Metropolitan Opera, and one of the few black women to become renowned in American classical ballet.) The girl is so overwhelmed by Collins’s breathtaking performance that she cries, “dripping all [her] dreams onto [her] Sunday dress” and imagines herself dancing onstage alongside the prima ballerina. At the end of the night, after the audience cheers and applauds for a “colored girl” the protagonist knows she’s “got dreams coming true.”
Matching the beauty of this story, the mixed-media illustrations feature a pastel color pallet, which was created using a subtractive process. The colors in each illustration are calm, allowing the characters’ movements and emotions to shine through. Instead of painting exaggerations or two-dimensional characters on the page, the artist chose to make three-dimensional likenesses of all of the characters in the book, including the little African-American girl, who has full lips, a wide-set nose and a fuzzy head of hair. Thus, this is one book in which the illustrations are truly reflective human physicality and children reading the book will easily identify with the characters on the page.
Ultimately, A Dance Like Starlight reminds us all that with hard work and perseverance, any dream can become a reality, no matter the color of your skin or the restrictions of your society. After witnessing Collins’ inspiring performance, the little unnamed girl believes her dreams are possible for her to attain. And isn’t that something every child should believe?
joinreallife's review
5.0
Definitely not a little tear in my eye. Certainly not.
Representation matters. In this story, a young girl finds hope in seeing Janet Collins, the first African American ballerina to dance at the Met, in her debut. It reminds us that, so often, we can't be what we can't see, and that sometimes all it takes is one important and altering moment to help us see the possibilities. Beautiful.
Representation matters. In this story, a young girl finds hope in seeing Janet Collins, the first African American ballerina to dance at the Met, in her debut. It reminds us that, so often, we can't be what we can't see, and that sometimes all it takes is one important and altering moment to help us see the possibilities. Beautiful.
cweichel's review
4.0
A young black girl dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. Although she is unable to dance with the white girls, the ballet master recognizes her talent and lets her participate in lessons at the back of the room. Then she went to see Janet Collins, the first colored prima ballerina, on stage at the Metropolitan Opera House and felt like Miss Collins was dancing just for her.
The lyrical text is breaks into concrete format in some sections. Floyd Cooper's illustrations make those words sing.
The lyrical text is breaks into concrete format in some sections. Floyd Cooper's illustrations make those words sing.
mmattmiller's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeous illustrations and the text feels so lyrical, so beautiful.
bdietrich's review
5.0
Read for 5427 class
A Dance Like Starlight is a wonderfully beautiful book. Many little girls can identify with wanting to be a ballerina, and all children can identify with dreaming of growing up as a firefighter, doctor, sports star, actor, etc. As such, A Dance Like Starlight is a window that builds empathy in non-African-American readers and is a mirror for African-American children. It’s so important for young children to be represented in books, just like how the narrator is represented by Miss Collins. Therefore, A Dance Like Starlight is a positive portrayal of African-Americans.
Synopsis:
The little African-American narrator dreams of becoming a ballerina. Unfortunately, in 1950’s New York City, this was unheard of. Until Miss Janet Collins is hired by the Metropolitan Opera. The narrator and her mother get to see Miss Collins perform and the narrator is aghast at the beauty of Miss Collins’s skill and talent. The narrator adamantly promises herself that she will be a ballerina someday.
A Dance Like Starlight is a wonderfully beautiful book. Many little girls can identify with wanting to be a ballerina, and all children can identify with dreaming of growing up as a firefighter, doctor, sports star, actor, etc. As such, A Dance Like Starlight is a window that builds empathy in non-African-American readers and is a mirror for African-American children. It’s so important for young children to be represented in books, just like how the narrator is represented by Miss Collins. Therefore, A Dance Like Starlight is a positive portrayal of African-Americans.
Synopsis:
The little African-American narrator dreams of becoming a ballerina. Unfortunately, in 1950’s New York City, this was unheard of. Until Miss Janet Collins is hired by the Metropolitan Opera. The narrator and her mother get to see Miss Collins perform and the narrator is aghast at the beauty of Miss Collins’s skill and talent. The narrator adamantly promises herself that she will be a ballerina someday.