I WANT TO DANCE

Bunnies can be ballet dancers, too.

Deep in the forest, a bunny rabbit is drawn to a brightly lit building filled with the sounds of music. Curious, she peeks inside and sees a group of girls performing ballet steps. Bravely, she asks to join the class and is welcomed to learn those steps while standing at a makeshift barre fashioned from three books in a pile. Some are difficult to execute while some are natural. “She was the best at leaps and jumps.” In a double spread, she happily soars high in a “Grand jeté!” Soon, the one bunny is joined by many friends. Then disappointment follows; the girls alone are to present a recital. Not to be outdone, though, the rabbits work hard to create costumes and perform their own recital “on the night of the full moon” and are joined by the girls from the studio. All is happiness. Stories with animals as ballet dancers are popular, but this title, previously published in Japan, does not add to the genre. It is sweet through one reading. The illustrations are softly hued, with the girls all pale-skinned with straight hair of varying colors. Unfortunately, the text does not always match the artwork, which is an issue when depicting steps. And one must ask, where are the boys and the brown-skinned children?

Pleasant but not balletically satisfying.