Sterling, Holly. Ballet Kids. Candlewick Press, 2022. 32 pages (978-1-5362-2037-7)

Thomas loves ballet. On this cold winter day, Thomas, who is Black, and five other preschoolers arrive for Mr. Elliot’s class. “We hang up our coats, hats and woolly scarves. Then we wiggle and slide into our ballet shoes.” They stretch, practice ballet positions, and improvise with great enthusiasm under Mr. Elliot’s guidance before choosing outfits for their upcoming show, The Nutcracker. “Some of the costumes are silky, some are soft, and some shimmer under the light … I pick out something as purple as a plum, covered in sparkly sequins … I am the Sugar Plum Fairy …” Thomas is nervous about performing, but Mr. Elliot assures him that if he listens and moves with the music, “the magic will come from within.” And it does! The beguiling first-person narrative, with its terrific word choice, conveys both dance-related details, including a few basic French dance terms, and Thomas’s love for dance, while the soft-edged, digitally colored pencil illustrations are as friendly and welcoming as Mr. Elliot’s class and his diverse students.     (Ages 3-6)

In a gentle introduction to ballet, a little boy and his friends gather for their dance class to learn some moves—and get excited about their debut performance.

Stretchy leggings on? Ballet shoes in the bag? Let’s go! Join Thomas and his fellow dancers as they’re welcomed into the studio for their Saturday ballet class. There are feet positions to perfect and steps to learn—first position, plie, up on your toes, relevé—and turns and jumps, too. Everyone is getting ready for their first performance, The Nutcracker—and now it’s time to pick out costumes! This warm celebration of dancing, a companion to Holly Sterling’s Karate Kids, is inspired by the author’s time learning ballet as a young child. It’s sure to be a hit with little ones taking a class, free-form dancers at home, and those who are hoping to be a ballet kid one day, too.