Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins

by Michelle Meadows, Ebony Glenn (Illustrator)

Overview

A lyrical picture book biography of Janet Collins, the first African American principal dancer at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Janet Collins wanted to be a ballerina in the 1930s and 40s, a time when racial segregation was widespread in the United States. Janet pursued dance with a passion, despite being rejected from discriminatory dance schools. When she was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as a teenager on the condition that she paint her skin white for performances, Janet refused. She continued to go after her dreams, never compromising her values along the way. From her early childhood lessons to the height of her success as the first African American prima ballerina in the Metropolitan Opera, Brave Ballerina is the story of a remarkable pioneer as told by Michelle Meadows, with fantastic illustrations from Ebony Glenn.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250127730
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	01/08/2019
Series:	Who Did It First?
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	212,856
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Michelle Meadows is the author of Hibernation Station, Piggies in Pajamas, and Super Bugs. She dances with her husband as much as possible. She lives in Delaware and loves to write at the beach.

Ebony Glenn is an Atlanta-based illustrator and proud recipient of the 2018 Wonders of Childhood Focus Fellowship. She has illustrated books including Brave Ballerina, Not Quite Snow White, and Mommy's Khimar.

Editorial Reviews

12/10/2018

Writing in gentle verse that calls to mind “This Is the House that Jack Built,” Meadows introduces Janet Collins, a New Orleans-born ballerina who pursued dance in the 1930s and ’40s. With her family’s support, Collins perseveres despite being told to lighten her dark skin: “This is the girl/ with a broken heart./ But she bounced right back/ and made a new start.” Glenn illustrates in warm yet muted digital art; dynamic spreads show Collins dancing in a red flamenco dress to the sounds of a jazz ensemble. In a final spread, Collins dances at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1951—becoming the first African-American prima ballerina to do so. Meadows offers readers an affectionate biographical story that emphasizes her subject’s passion and determination. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

A NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Bank Street College Best Book of the Year
A New York Public Library Best Book for Children
A Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award Honor Book
A South Carolina Picture Book Award Nominee
A Wisconsin State Reading Association Picture This! List Selection
A Kentucky Bluegrass Award Nominee

"This is a wonderful and inspirational biography for aspiring young dancers and other athletes." —The Washington Post

"Collins’s story is told masterfully. . . Glenn fills each page with the strength and beauty of dance, focusing on the graceful movement of Collins and her emotive expressions. This book radiates with the joy of dance. A first purchase for most collections."—School Library Journal, starred review

"Writing in verse is no easy task, and Meadows's text almost never stumbles, keeping metronomic time with Ebony Glenn's illustrations of soaring, spinning Janet. Glenn's digital art is full of movement . . .An enchanting biography."—Shelf Awareness, starred review

"The digital illustrations have the look of pen drawings, rendering a graceful dancer's body with glowing brown skin and a self-possessed face. . . A celebration of one black woman's achievements that underscores the passion and purpose that the human spirit has to offer."—Kirkus Reviews

"Glenn illustrates in warm yet muted digital art; dynamic spreads show Collins dancing in a red flamenco dress to the sounds of a jazz ensemble. In a final spread, Collins dances at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1951—becoming the first African-American prima ballerina to do so. Meadows offers readers an affectionate biographical story that emphasizes her subject’s passion and determination."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—Young dancers will find inspiration in the first picture book biography written about groundbreaking dancer Janet Collins. In tidy four-line stanzas, Meadows tells Collins's life story, describing her path to stardom as the first black prima ballerina to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House. Each page begins in a similar fashion, setting the scene and continuing in rhyming verse. ("This is the audience, lined up in rows, cheering her on as she danced on her toes.") Though the format is constrictive, there is not an awkward word or rhythm to be found. Collins's story is told masterfully, with additional background information in an author's note. Glenn (Mommy's Khimar) fills each page with the strength and beauty of dance, focusing on the graceful movement of Collins and her emotive expressions. VERDICT This book radiates with the joy of dance. A first purchase for most collections.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

2018-10-15

This ode to dancer Janet Collins showcases her diverse talents as well as her achievements.

"These are the costumes / her dear mama made. / Costumes for lessons— / that's how they paid." With spare rhymes and "The House That Jack Built" rhythm, the words tell of the ups and downs of Janet Collins' dancing life, from her precocious youth through her arrival as the first African-American prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera in 1951. Each spread highlights an item or people who had a role in spurring her on to success, from her pointe shoes to her family, from the dance school that turned black dancers away to the day she was accepted in a dance company only to be told she would have to paint her skin white to blend in. Collins danced Spanish and other ethnic styles and finally found a ballet class that welcomed her. "This is the dancer / who went back for more / when her tender toes ached / and her muscles felt sore." The digital illustrations have the look of pen drawings, rendering a graceful dancer's body with glowing brown skin and a self-possessed face. After the passion and hard work she displayed throughout the story, the final spread feels triumphant: Collins smiles at the audience with roses at her feet on the stage.

A celebration of one black woman's achievements that underscores the passion and purpose that the human spirit has to offer. (author's note, sources, websites) (Picture book/biography. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews