The Crab Ballet: A Picture Book

by Renée LaTulippe, Cécile Metzger (Illustrator)

Overview

When the tide is out, the curtain is up on this clever tale of an underwater, watercolor ballet featuring dancing crabs and all of their aquatic friends from children’s book author and poet Renée LaTulippe and illustrator Cécile Metzger.
 
“Beautiful, original, entertaining.”—Midwest Book Review
 
Welcome. Enter. Sit right there. The Crab Ballet is about to begin! This spectacular seaside show, starring dancing crabs, an aquatic corps de ballet, and a cast of French ballet terms, is sure to delight ballet dancers of all stripes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781951836368
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/08/2022
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Renée LaTulippe is a children’s book author and poet. Crab Ballet is her first book with Cameron Kids. She lives by the sea with her family in Italy. Cécile Metzger is a French artist and illustrator. She lives in Florence, Italy.

Editorial Reviews

"Beautiful, original, entertaining."

— Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

"Beautiful, original, entertaining."

Midwest Book Review

2021-12-27
A whimsical ballet never before seen above water!

“The stage is set: a sleek, wet glow—Shhh! The dancers take the floor.” Act 1 introduces anemones, squids, turtles, and seahorses as they open the performance of “this gleaming sea ballet” with “an elegant marine routine” complete with swaying, gliding, and spiraling. Then, the corps dancers—tiny crabs—take center stage, scampering, pirouetting, skipping, and soaring. After a grand intermission, Act 2 begins: starfish (“star performers”) dance in formation, with sunbeams for spotlights. As twilight falls, farther out in the ocean, dolphins breach the surface in a dainty dance duet as, under the sea, the aquatic ensemble perform their final encore. Enhanced by poetry in rhyme, this spectacular ocean ballet fairly sings when read aloud; however, the very small font is hard on the eyes. LaTulippe weaves plenty of French and English ballet terms (pas de chat, arabesque, fifth position, etc.) into the text and defines them in a skillfully child-friendly closing glossary. Metzger’s delicate watercolor illustrations use a palette dominated by the trademark elegant pinks of ballet costumes and have all the softness of ballerina tulle.

A fun introduction to ballet that will also inspire an appreciation for marine life. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews