Review Detail

ANGELINA BALLERINA'S BALLET TOUR is a cute early chapter book read that follows Angelina and friends as they go on a small tour. Angelina is so excited to hear Miss Lilly's surprise - her dance class will be going on tour all the way to the Royal Theater in Great Gouda, a place that Angelina has always dreamed of performing. Miss Lilly asks them what they would like to perform, and they all agree that they want to do Mouserella. When the parts are announced, Angelina is sad that she won't get to be the lead. However, Miss Lilly also asks for her help to keep everyone on track.

As the tour continues, the mouselings make mistakes, but importantly, they keep dancing. Angelina remains sad that she didn't get the main part until the final performance, when she remembers how much she just loves dancing and can celebrate her role as well.

What I loved: This is a great chapter book for children who are building independence with reading but still like some pictures as they go. The font is large and spaced well on each page to aid in reading, and each page spread includes an illustration in black and white, though they are sometimes small, leaving a lot of space for text. This balance works best for children who are advancing in chapter books but still love to see the story as well. The illustrations are lovely in the usual Angelina Ballerina style with plenty of details and all the characters children know and love from the series.

The story stays light-hearted throughout, not wallowing too much in Angelina's disappointment or any other troubles along the way. Despite some small jealousy over the role, Angelina still manages to support her friends in places as they tour, showing good sportsmanship. The end of the story has Angelina teaching Polly some of her moves and really embracing the show and role as performed.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the plot felt a bit weird in places, focusing in on some shows really thoroughly but not others without clear directions. One of the shows follows another book very closely, so it may not be wholly new. The overarching messaging felt a bit lost in the minutiae, not quite focusing on her feelings about her role or other elements of the story to give it that cohesiveness that makes for a more compelling read.

Final verdict: Overall, ANGELINA BALLERINA'S BALLET TOUR is a cute chapter book that will work for independent readers who love Angelina and her friends.