Gloria's Promise (American Ballet Theatre)
A Ballet Dancer's First Step
-
- $4.99
-
- $4.99
Publisher Description
From the New York Times bestselling illustrator and former ballet soloist Robin Preiss Glasser comes a story about a young ballet dancer whose boundless determination makes her dream of dancing with the American Ballet Theatre come true.
Gloria has a very big dream: to be admitted to the summer program at the American Ballet Theatre. The day of the audition arrives, and Gloria couldn’t be more excited! She can’t wait to dance and show the world what she can do. In the ABT studios, she gets a peek into a glorious room filled with pointe shoes, ballet dancers getting fitted for tutus, and an awe-inspiring company rehearsal. She can barely believe her eyes!
During the audition, Gloria is determined to make an impression by pushing herself to be her best. But when she falls in front of the teacher, she wonders if her determination will be enough.
Robin Preiss Glasser, the bestselling illustrator of the internationally renowned Fancy Nancy series, brings exquisite and authentic details to every illustration as only a former professional ballet soloist can do. This story about a determined dancer who is working hard to achieve her dream is sure to thrill ballet students everywhere.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sisters Glasser and Weitzman (You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum) reteam for this experiential tale, produced in partnership with American Ballet Theatre, of a young dancer determined to be admitted to ABT's summer intensive. Gloria encourages herself internally ("Take a deep breath. You've got this") as she and her mother, both portrayed with pale skin, battle snowy New York City streets and a crowded subway en route to the audition. After signing in among a bevy of children portrayed with varying skin tones, Gloria takes a wrong turn and stumbles onto backstage wonders: a room filled with pointe shoes, dancers at a costume fitting and—breathtakingly—a company rehearsal in progress. A fall tempers Gloria's confident exuberance at the audition, but she soldiers on, demonstrating resilience. Glasser's signature art style exudes Gloria's love for dance, while a series of energetic spot illustrations delineate the slow passage of time as she awaits the important news. Slipping in a vocabulary lesson for "promise" as both potential and vow, the creators render a lively paean to passion and persistence via a sympathetic protagonist who knows that "This is where I want to be." Ages 4–7.
