I’m simply unimpressed with the supposed “story”. To be fair, I suspect most of these awards are because it’s written by a black ballerina with a young black heroine. In 2014, it was voted an NPR Best Book, an Amazon Best Book for Ages 6–8 as well as Amazon Best Book of the Month, and was Essence Magazine’s Best Children’s Book. In 2015, Firebird won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award New Writer Honor. Explore it on Goodreads or AmazonĪ standalone story that is inspired by Misty Copeland’s own rise as a ballerina.

Putnam's Books for Young Readers on Septemand has 40 pages. Picture book in Hardcover edition that was published by G.P. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. If you’re looking for a ballerina book that breaks the mold, this is it.I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. The length was great for little ones, and JJ adored the story and art. The stylistic, lyrical text and bright, vibrant hues of the illustrations join the story in celebrating dancers of color (including boys in the final pages, a lovely surprise!) in a way that departs from the prim, pastel images of most ballet books, giving it a vibrancy that these stories can lack. As Copeland notes in her afterward, while there are plenty of books about ballerinas, there are very few about ballerinas who look like her, and she wanted to write a book for them. More than this, though, it is a wholly unique ballerina book that injects a little style and color into a well-worn genre. On the surface, it’s a classic lesson in achieving through work and perseverance, made all the more authentic due to its author. She shows the girl that with these qualities, she too will shine bright as a Firebird, and inspire the next generation of dreamers that follows.

Misty denies this, relating that she once stood in the girl’s ballet slippers, and that hard work, dedication, and belief in herself is what made her great. The girl believes that Misty’s success and talent are an unachievable goal for someone like her. Hello, friends! Today, we read Firebird, written by Misty Copeland and illustrated by Christopher Myers, a gorgeously unique ballerina book to inspire young dreamers.Īn abstractly autobiographical story, Copeland, the first African-American ballerina to become a principal dancer of the American Ballet Theater, uses the story of her own rise to encourage a young dancer struggling with confidence.

Firebird book by misty copeland