Guest Review: THE TUTU BALLET by Sally O. Lee

The Tutu Ballet
By Sally O. Lee
ISBN-10: 1439209162
ISBN-13: 978-1439209165
Paperback, 36 pages
September 5, 2008
BookSurge
Reviewed by Cynthia Murphy


Children’s author Sally O. Lee is back with another beautiful book, The Tutu Ballet. This is a fun children’s book with an enjoyable story and great illustrations. The plot is simple. Ms. Berry, the local ballet teacher is planning a recital for her ballet class. Unfortunately, each student excels in a different step. How is Ms. Berry supposed to choreograph a recital for this group? She decides to let each student do the step that he/she does best. The result is the best ballet ever.

One of the things that I love about this book is that it celebrates the differences among the characters. Each character has his own favorite step, and that’s okay. Lee doesn’t stress conformity. Instead, the ballet teacher, Ms. Berry praises each student’s signature move. Ms. Berry even goes so far as to build a whole recital around their differences. (As someone who has spent a lot of time in dance studios over the years, I found this a bit hard to believe. However, it does make for a great ending.)

As with Lee’s other books, The Tutu Ballet features beautiful pictures. The colors are vibrant, and the textured look is amazing. Lee creates her illustrations with a combination of watercolor and pen and ink on paper. The result is a stunning set of illustrations that will delight young readers. I am constantly amazed by Lee’s work. She even has her type set in a custom font. This level of detail is impressive.

Lee captures the excitement and anxiety of a child’s first dance recital. It is hard to say who is more nervous- the students or their parents. The recital itself is depicted beautifully. Lee gives a step by step account of the dance that should appeal to all readers. She uses plenty of action verbs to describe both the class and the show. This technique makes the story come alive for non-dancers.

The Tutu Ballet is a fun children’s book. It will probably appeal most to little girls who take ballet, but it has enough comedy to keep others interested as well. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story is enjoyable. It celebrates differences among dancers and people. Overall, I think it is Sally O. Lee’s best book yet.