Rating: 5 Stars
I must start out by saying that Misty Copeland is amazing. Watching her dance, to see her perform Firebird live, is one of the greatest things I have ever witnessed in my life time and I was so lucky to be able to experience that with my four and a half year old daughter, who also loves to spin and twirl and be a ballerina. This past week Misty and ABT, along with the St Louis Symphony, were at the University of Nebraska. On Tuesday Misty spoke at the EN Thompson Forum on World Issues, discussing her career and the lack of diversity within classical ballet. It was there that I picked up this copy of Firebird for my little ballerina and we have read it so many times since that night - and we have not even owned it for a whole week!
While Misty's own story is incredible - she did not start ballet until she was 13. She is the first African-American woman in history to become a principal dancer in the 75 year history with ABT. This is a HUGE accomplishment in an art form that is by and large very, very white. Even keeping in mind Copeland's own experiences, this book is for ALL who have a goal or a dream, regardless of race.
The story is of a young girl who is discouraged, unsure of herself but almost certain she can not follow in Copeland's footsteps. But Copeland herself tells snippets of her own journey in text that is both lyrical and meandering, leaping off the page. Yes, I went there. And she shows how, by working hard, the girl can become Firebird as well.
Besides the fact that Copeland is one of my favorite ballet dancers ever, I loved the fact that while the direct message in the book is geared toward those who love dance, the overall theme is the fact that no matter what your goal is, what your dream is, you will have to work hard and dedicate yourself to reaching whatever it is that you want. It is written in such a way that will appeal to younger and older readers alike. Though it is getting a bit easier to find diverse picture books than it was even ten or twenty years ago, this is a wonderful addition to that growing collection of books that tell stories from the perspective of someone who is not white. As a white teacher in a school predominantly attended by African-American children, you can see why this book is so important on so many levels. My students need to have hope, just like the girl in this book, just like all children do. This is a great start to showing them they can achieve great things if they are committed to it.
The only issue I really had with the book was the illustrations. It's not even that they were poorly done (and obviously they were not, seeing as how the book won the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator in 2015), but this medium is just not my favorite. It does give the illustrations a wonderful, textured look, but some were just too unbalanced for me. I don't think I would have minded so much had the body proportions not been so strange sometimes.
In the end, I can unequivocally recommend this book to a variety of people - parents of aspiring dancers, parents/teachers/librarians looking for books with African-American characters, and pretty much anyone who enjoys beautiful, brilliant, yet simple work. Very well-done.
I recently saw someone printing out bio graphical articles of a dancer whom I'd never heard of -- a classical dancer or ballet dancer, judging by her apparel. One photo indicated she'd been involved in a movie, too, but her name escaped me at the end of the day. Although most students working on black history projects print the same people over and over again, ocassionally a diligent teacher produces a few new names. Bessie Coleman, for instance -- she started flying after WW1 because she believed she could inspire others. Unfortunately she had a short career, perishing in the 20s, but her memory lives on...several schools and roads have been named after her.
ReplyDeleteIf she wore modern ballet attire it was probably Misty! She is amazing. Check out her Under Armour commercial from their "I Will What I Want" campaign. She will be in Disney's "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" that will be out later this year.
DeleteMy paraprofessional and I always try to do unique projects for Black History Month. This year each kiddo was assigned an African-American inventor to research, so it has been fun to watch their eyes open to that aspect of history.
Bessie Coleman is a name I know, but not well. I will have to add her to my ever-growing list of historical figures for the kids to learn about. Thanks for the idea!
I just found her name again -- I'd repeated it several times, so I figured I'd recognize if I saw her name again. She was Raven Wilkinson.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven_Wilkinson
1st dancer to break the color barrier in 1935!
Oh, no offense, but the inventors make me shudder. Resources are so scarce. We get some assignments for photos of inventors...but said inventors lived before lithographs. I think some teachers just pluck names from a list without vetting them, at least in our school system.
DeleteAh yes, I know her name well. Incredibly talented dancer, who features quite prominently in Misty's own story as they developed a friendship as Misty has risen up through the company.
DeleteOdd, I have had little trouble finding information. My students and I used www.black-inventor.com, which has some great biographies as well as other resources. My students are 3rd-5th grade and it was age-appropriate for the most part - so many of my kiddos read below grade level that they would need at least some help, regardless of the websites we chose.
DeleteI think my reaction to inventor assignments is a case of cognitive bias -- I remember the obscure ones and forget the hundreds we find for kids every February.
DeleteHappens to me all the time! Keep that website handy, it had a lot of great info and many inventors who are still alive, so it was helpful to tie them into how our world has changed (and not changed) since the Civil Rights Movement.
DeleteI'd assumed from your post title that this post was going to be about a YA fantasy book so I'm delighted that it's a ballet book instead! My OH took me to Covent Garden a few years ago for my first proper ballet and I have been hooked ever since. We love the live cinema transmissions of ballet performances although I admit I am yet to see Misty Copeland. She sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteStephanie Jane @ Literary Flits
Isn't it beautiful and lovely? I am glad you are hooked too, it is such a beautiful art form. I have loved ballet since I was young and I wish I had stuck with it, instead of giving that up for basketball. But I am happy that my daughter loves it too, so I will do everything I can to make sure she can take classes, until she does not want to anymore.
DeleteSeeing Misty perform was a bucket list item I never thought I would get to cross off and I am still over the moon that it actually happened. The whole show was great, in fact. Firebird was the last performance, and before that there were two Pas de Deuxs from Swan Lake, one with the White Swan and her partner, then one with the Black Swan and her partner. It was amazing. So, so amazing.