Lyrical celebration of Janet Collins, the first African American prima ballerina, narrated by a young black ballerina who watches her perform.

Just lovely art and, on top of that, it's a beautiful story about dreams overcoming racism. ( )

This was a lovely little book, but I was disappointed with the pacing and the ending. It's unusual that I would want to know more about the people in a picture book, but I finished the book really wanting to know about the little girl's future in ballet. A surprisingly unsatisfying ending, but otherwise a well-crafted vignette.

Read to support programming at my local public library. ( )

This book is moving and has a powerful message about role models, confidence, drive, and determination. A young girl dreams of becoming a ballerina but can't see herself succeeding in her dream because she is African American. It feels like justice when she sees Janet Collins perform on stage, the first African American prima ballerina. The illustration of Janet and the little girl jumping up together is poignant and uplifting. A very optimistic and feel-good book for little girls anywhere. ( )

Good book for explaining to kids or adults how dreams can come true if you have faith. The books start off by showing us a little girl making a wish. This little girl throughout the book shows how badly she wants to become a ballerina, and she makes wishes when she sees a star. Her mother tries to explain to her that if she hopes and believes in what she wants it will come true. It seems that the little girl has little faith until she sees a picture in the newspaper of a woman who is the first colored ballerina. The little girl and her mother go to an orchestra where the colored ballerina is performing. As the ballerina performs she imagines that she is the ballerina. I think at that moment she finally believed that one day that can be her on that stage performing and doing what she loves. ( )