Tallulah’s Toe Shoes
Written by Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger
In ballet, and most pursuits, there is always another level to strive for. Tallulah is a good, but young, ballet dancer. When her teachers tell her she is not yet ready to dance on her toes, she knows they are wrong. Tallulah finds an old pair of toe shoes, stuffs them with tissues, and tries to dance. She imagines herself as the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. Then she looks in the mirror and sees herself as a rat. Tallulah must accept that she is not yet ready. Just as her teachers said, her body, her feet, and her skills cannot yet dance on pointe. But equally important, the level she is at is good.
Everyone who has ever enjoyed looking at a ballet, will enjoy the pictures. They dance off the page, but do not take themselves too seriously. We see how Tallulah imagines herself— but then, in a style reminiscent of Hilary Knight of Eloise fame—we see what the young ballet dancer really looks like as well. Tallulah’s younger brother offers a low- key counterpart to the intensity of Tallulah’s drive.
While this book will appeal to the second and third grade ballet enthusiasts, its message — enjoy the journey— is good for many kids (and adults for that matter). Tallulah doesn’t need to be in such a hurry to get into toe shoes. They will wait for her, and she has plenty more to explore right where she is. The book will also make a fine read aloud for younger children. The reader can ask for the children’s help in following the dancers across the page, learning sequencing of images as well as words.
Additional Resources:
Tallulah’s website: www.hmhbooks.com/tallulah
Marilyn Singer’s website: www.marilynsinger.net
Alexandra Boiger’s website: www.alexandraboiger.com
Title: Tallulah’s Toe Shoes- Author: Marilyn Singer
- Illustrator: Alexandra Boiger
- Publisher: Clarion Books
- Reviewer: Amy S. Hansen
- Hardcover: number of pages
- ISBN: 978-0-547-48223-1
- Genre: fiction: picture book
