Customer comments on this selection.
 Overcooked prose
Evidently this book was meant to appeal to adults as well as children through its use of grown-up language, and while I can't speak for my kids (to whom I read a couple of the stories), I found the writing off-putting. The prose put me in mind of what I imagine one would find in a supermarket bodice-buster. The authors demonstrate a distinct fondness for one-word sentences, breathy declarations of undying love between characters, and the word "gossamer." For me, too much gossamer lends a certain heavy quality to the text. Pretty pictures, though.
 An anthology of classic fairy tales
Co-authored by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories is an anthology of classic fairy tales that celebrate the art and tradition of ballet. The stories presented are "Coppelia: The Girl with the Enamel Eyes", "Swan Lake", "Cinderella", "The Nutcracker", "Shim Chung: The Blind Man's Daughter", "The Sleeping Beauty", and "Daphnis and Chloe". All of these great stories are wondrously brought to life with Rebecca Guay's beautiful color illustrations in the style of great fairy tale books, and though The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories is meant for young and old alike, the tales are not dumbed down for young readers but are superbly presented in all their glory or sorrowful tragedy, as the case may be. Highly recommended.
Beautiful Book!
The illustrations in this book really live up to what Rebecca Guay can do! There are lots of beautiful two page illustrations with subtly designed costumes and atmospere. The dancers are shown as if dancing in the perfect forms of the ballet ; not on a stage set, but in a fully imagined world of mythology. Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple bring the stories to life in an elegant way that reads well for adults and with the kind of magic kid's are lookining for. This will certainly be an inspiration to many children.
One of my favorite picture book collections of ballet tales
When Jane Yolen and Barefoot Books work together, one can safely assume a high quality book will result. In this new collaboration between Yolen and her daughter, Heidi Stemple, seven classic ballet tales are retold and illustrated by Rebecca Guay. All seven tales--Coppelia, Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Shim Chung, The Sleeping Beauty, and Daphnis and Cloe--are beautifully written, providing vivid details and rich language instead of the more cursory texts provided in similar collections. Short introductions to each ballet, including performance histories and story sources, enriches the collection. The authors also include a brief historical timeline of ballet and a bibliography that references books as well as websites for those who want to learn more about the ballets. Guay's colorful illustrations will appeal to the most romantic dreams of any balletomane, emphasizing the brilliant colors, elaborate costumes and choreography usually associated with the ballets in performance. Overall, a wonderful book for school age children and up either to read or have read to them.
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