Resources for Children: Ballet

I’m positive this isn’t a complete list, but there’s still a lot here. There’s no doubt that ballet is a beautiful art form. Add in all the great music and fairy tales (Sleeping Beauty, Firebird, Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Coppelia, etc.) and you’ve got perfect material for dreamers. Let me know what I’ve left out—I appreciate the feedback.

Alvin Ailey by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney









Backstage Robert Maiorano and Rachel Isadora

Ballet Bunnies by Joan Elizabeth Goodman







Ballet of the Elephants by Leda Schubert, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker






Ballet School by Naia Bray-Moffat and David Handley









The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Rebecca Guay








Dance of the Swan: A Story about Anna Pavlova (Creative Minds Biographies), by Barbara Allman, illustrated by Shelly O. Haas








The Firebird by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Vladimir Vagin









Firebird adapted by Rachel Isadora

The Harlem Nutcracker based on the ballet by Donald Byrd, text and photography by Susan Kurklin








I Dreamed I was a Ballerina by Anna Pavlova









Isadora Dances Rachel Isadora









Jake the Ballet Dog by Karen LeFrak, illustrated by Marcin Barnaski









Lili at Ballet by Rachel Isadora









Lili on Stage by Rachel Isadora









Lili Backstage by Rachel Isadora









Max Rachel Isadora







My Ballet Class by Rachel Isadora








My Ballet Diary by Rachel Isadora

Not Just Tutus Rachel Isadora









The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers









The Nutcracker Ballet by Vladimir Vagin









On Your Toes: A Ballet ABC Rachel Isadora









Opening Night by Rachel Isadora

The Random House Book of Stories from the Ballet retold by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Angela Barrett








Swan Lake: A Ballet Story adapted & illustrated by Rachel Isadora









A Very Young Dancer by Jill Krementz