Be a Ballerina! (Angelina Ballerina)

BE A BALLERINA! is a clever picture book with tips for being a great ballerina told alongside a story about Angelina going about her day. Angelina wakes up in the morning and eats good food to keep her body strong, and then she heads to class, making sure to arrive on time. She practices her dance with her friends, and they know that it is okay to make mistakes. They stay focused and never give up - and make sure to say thank you. At night, ballerinas make sure to get some good sleep.

What I loved: This is such a fun way to present life lessons to budding ballerinas. The story is told as per the usual Angelina Ballerina book with plenty of conversation, charm, and dialogue. Angelina and her friends are performing their dance after much practice. Although there is a hiccup, she knows that mistakes are okay and keeps on going. She dreams of being a prima ballerina, and it seems that every day, her dream is getting closer!

The life lessons seem simple, but are great to have presented in such a clear way, encouraging children to eat well for strong bodies, dream big, practice, make mistakes, and get good sleep at night. These are tips that are good for all of us! They are presented alongside a conversational story, which will delight young fans of Angelina with this simple but sweet story.

As per usual, Angelina Ballerina stories will work well for older toddlers through young elementary school aged readers. The font is clear and large enough to read on each page, even in low light, which will work well as a bedtime book. The illustrations are the usual lovely, detailed art with pastel colors and expressive characters.

Final verdict: With encouraging life lessons for young ballerinas, BE A BALLERINA! is a charming and clever picture book featuring a new story with Angelina Ballerina. Highly recommend picking this one up!