Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve never forgotten the thrill of my first ballet! My grandmother and I went to see The Nutcracker when I was five, and that first ballet experience inspired a lifelong love of dance. As a child, I adored dressing up and twirling around the house with my sisters, and I went on to study dance along with English Literature in college. Years later when my own daughters adored dressing up in pink tutus, I started writing about a determined little mouse who loves to dance, and so Angelina Ballerina was born. Children naturally love music and dance, and I hope the picture books I’ve chosen will inspire you and your family with the magic of dance!


I wrote

Book cover of Angelina Ballerina

What is my book about?

Angelina is a passionate little mouse who wants nothing more than to be a real ballerina. She dances all the…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Barnyard Dance!

Katharine Holabird Why did I love this book?

This is hilarious, interactive board book is great fun to read with babies and toddlers. I love dancing to all the wacky rhymes with my grandkids - it’s a really good workout! When the farmyard animals start stomping and do-si-do-ing, the whole family will want to join in and dance along. Great for little ones who are just starting to tap their toes and twirl. 

By Sandra Boynton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Barnyard Dance! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Everybody sing along, because it's time to do-si-do in the barnyard with a high-spirited crew of favourite farm animals.


Book cover of Ballet Lesson: Peppa Pig

Katharine Holabird Why did I love this book?

Peppa is an adorable little pink pig, and the Peppa Pig books are full of family fun and laughter. In this 8x8 storybook, slightly older children will delight in Peppa’s very first ballet lesson as she learns some graceful dance steps with all her friends. When Peppa comes home and decides to teach her parents how to do ballet she gets quite a surprise! Wonderful humor and colorful, lively illustrations contribute to all the dancing fun.

By Elizabeth Schaefer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ballet Lesson as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

A ballet-themed 8x8 storybook featuring Peppa -- a lovable, slightly bossy little piggy! Includes a poster of Peppa and friends!

Peppa Pig goes to her very first ballet lesson where she learns a graceful dance routine. But when Peppa decides to teach Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig how to dance, too, she finds out they might just have some dance moves of their own! Includes a poster of Peppa and friends!

Ad

Book cover of A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France

A Long Way from Iowa By Janet Hulstrand,

This memoir chronicles the lives of three generations of women with a passion for reading, writing, and travel. The story begins in 1992 in an unfinished attic in Brooklyn as the author reads a notebook written by her grandmother nearly 100 years earlier. This sets her on a 30-year search…

Book cover of Fancy Nancy: Budding Ballerina

Katharine Holabird Why did I love this book?

The Fancy Nancy books are hugely popular, and this is a great addition to the series. Nancy loves to dress up and dance, and in this story she sets out to show her favorite ballet moves to her father, with touchingly humorous results. Young readers will enjoy following along as Nancy demonstrates her best plies, pirouettes, and jetes, and will probably be inspired to start their own ballet lessons!

An entertaining way to learn basic ballet positions, and a special treat for devoted little ballet students and their families.

By Jane O'Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fancy Nancy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

What starts out as dancing school just for Dad quickly turns into a ballet class for Nancy's whole family. Fans of Fancy Nancy will delight in learning to plié, pirouette, and jeté with Nancy as she demonstrates all of the positions she's learned in ballet class.

From the New York Times bestselling team Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, who have entertained millions of girls and boys with the Fancy Nancy series.


Book cover of The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage

Katharine Holabird Why did I love this book?

A storybook that takes me back to my own dancing childhood. The fabulous mother-daughter team of Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton have created a delightful series of picture books with a very winsome protagonist, Gerry, who loves being a fairy princess - and what little girl doesn’t? In this charming story Gerry is given the part of a court jester in the ballet recital - definitely not her first choice!  Little dancers will be inspired by Gerry’s determination and undaunted enthusiasm, and cheer her on as she saves the day. 

By Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Everyone's favorite fairy princess is back and just in time for her ballet recital in this new picture book addition to the Julie Andrews Collection. At first, when Gerry is cast as the Court Jester and not the Crystal Princess, she is dismayed -- nothing is pink and no one can see her crown under her silly jester hat! But just as the recital looks like it's headed for disaster, our ever-energetic very fairy princess swoops in to save the day!

Gerry's sparkle radiates from the page once more through Christine Davenier's whimsically elegant illustrations in this spirited, ballet-themed follow-up…


Ad

Book cover of At What Cost, Silence?

At What Cost, Silence? By Karen Lynne Klink,

Secrets, misunderstandings, and a plethora of family conflicts abound in this historical novel set along the Brazos River in antebellum Washington County, East Texas.

It is a compelling story of two neighboring plantation families and a few of the enslaved people who serve them. These two plantations are a microcosm…

Book cover of Twelve Dancing Princesses

Katharine Holabird Why did I love this book?

I adored listening to fairytales as a child, and the Twelve Dancing Princesses was a favorite of mine, loved by my children too. Parents will appreciate this child-friendly retelling of the Grimm’s classic fairytale, along with beautiful and colorful illustrations that will beguile young dancers. There’s lots of magic and mystery in the story of the princesses who mysteriously wear out their dancing slippers every night, and the humble cobbler who saves them. Budding ballerinas will have fun dressing up and dancing like the enchanted princesses!

By Brigette Barrager,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Twelve Dancing Princesses as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A beautiful, modernized version of the Grimms fairy tale 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses.' In this story, twelve princesses find that their shoes are worn out every morning-and they are totally exhausted! A handsome suitor discovers that they are enchanted, and each night, in their sleep, they are going to a magical world to dance in a ball. By helping to break the spell, he earns the love of the youngest princess. The story ends with a beautiful wedding ball.


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Angelina Ballerina

What is my book about?

Angelina is a passionate little mouse who wants nothing more than to be a real ballerina. She dances all the time—at home, at school, even in her dreams! Angelina is so busy dancing that she forgets about all the other things she’s supposed to do, like joining her family for breakfast and getting to school on time!

Angelina’s parents don’t know what to do—especially after her enthusiastic arabesques in the kitchen knock over the milk! Then they come up with a surprise that will change Angelina’s life forever…  Angelina Ballerina will enchant little dancers as she twirls off the page in beautiful illustrations by Helen Craig.

Book cover of Barnyard Dance!
Book cover of Ballet Lesson: Peppa Pig
Book cover of Fancy Nancy: Budding Ballerina

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,585

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 You might also like…

Book cover of Return to Hope Creek

Return to Hope Creek By Alyssa J. Montgomery,

Return to Hope Creek is a second-chance rural romance set in Australia.

Stella Simpson's career and engagement are over. She returns to the rural community of Hope Creek to heal, unaware her high school and college sweetheart, Mitchell Scott, has also moved back to town to do some healing of…

Book cover of An Heir of Realms

An Heir of Realms By Heather Ashle,

An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction. 

Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in ballet, ballet dancers, and life satisfaction?

Ballet 19 books
Ballet Dancers 14 books
Life Satisfaction 228 books