Ballet Stars

Joan Holub's Ballet Stars is a short, sparkly rhyming book for 6 year olds about a group of friends on the day of their ballet show.

What happens

It's show day. Hooray! First comes the dressing up. Sparkly ribbons, ballet shoes, bright white tights and brand-new tutus.

Then the warm-up. Stretches and bends, ballet arms and ballet feet, toes pointing out. It's told by the dancers themselves, so you're right there in the line with them.

Families and friends arrive to watch. The music starts, everyone finds their place and off they go. They twirl like snowflakes and sway like trees and do their turns on tippy-toes.

Then it's a bow to the left and kisses blown to the right. They're ballet stars, tonight at least!

The whole story is a little over a hundred words. But it's got that fizzy show-day feeling in every line. Who doesn't remember spotting their family in the audience?

If your reader already twirls round the kitchen or has a show of their own coming up, this will feel very familiar.

What to read next

If they'd like a longer ballet story next, Isadora Moon Goes to the Ballet starts with Isadora and Pink Rabbit putting on their own show at home before her class heads off to see a real one.