Renée Watson’s text gives voice to the life story of singer and dancer Florence Mills, best known for her performances in Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds vaudeville revues. Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renée Watson and Christian Robinson (Random House) This book has the power to make children think there’s nothing they can’t do. “Me? I am gray as rain,” says the girl, “heavy as naptime, low as a storm pressing on rooftops.” Copeland reassures her, “You will soar – become a swan, a beauty, a firebird for sure – soon with the same practice you’ll join me in this dancing dream.”Ĭhristopher Myers’ decoupage-inspired illustrations show Copeland and her young mentee soaring to the heights in brilliant color. In Firebird, she shares her own early struggles with self-doubt and how she overcame them with the help of a mentor who believed in her.įirebird is cleverly written from the perspectives of a young girl – understood as Copeland’s younger self – with little confidence who dreams big dreams of dancing, and Copeland’s own adult perspective, encouraging the girl to follow her dream and persevere. Since joining the American Ballet Theatre in 2000, Copeland has ascended through the ranks of the corps de ballet to become a soloist then, in June 2015, the first African American to be appointed one of the company’s principal dancers.īut things weren’t always so rosy for Copeland. Misty Copeland’s meteoric rise through the elite ranks of the ballet world has been the stuff of headlines for nearly two decades. Others tell equally powerful stories of fictional characters whose lives could inspire anyone.Īll of the books have the power to inspire children with the phenomenal contributions of African American musicians and dancers, as well as to the work of the writers and illustrators who tell their stories.įirebird: Ballerina Misty Copeland Shows a Young Girl How to Dance Like the Firebird by Misty Copeland and Christopher Myers (G. Some of the books (listed in alphabetical order by title) show trailblazers making history by breaking through racism and other racially imposed barriers to become the first African Americans to make their mark. To celebrate Black History Month this month, I’ve compiled a list of some tremendous children’s books about African American musicians and dancers and/or written and illustrated by African American writers and visual artists. Last May, I wrote a post about “ 10 Great Children’s Books about Classical Music.” Even now, months later, you, the readers of this blog, continue to show overwhelming interest in that post, so I decided to expand upon it with another annotated list of great children’s books about music and, this time, also dance, but with an even greater focus.
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