Swan Lake

by Rachel Isadora

Book Overview

A prince's love for a swan queen overcomes an evil sorcerer's spell in this fairy tale adaptation of the classic ballet. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399217304
• ISBN13: 9780399217302
• Release Date: September 1991
• Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.8" x 11.4"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

What a book!

I LOVED this book. It is great to see high art as shown in this book. I am a want-to-be artist and I just drool when I look at this book. I would love to see the actual art. I think the writing perfectly matches the art and this is not always the case. Bravo!! I highly recommend this book and hope it is on every art and ballet lover's shelf.

Be Observant!

Many people have seen the ballet of Swan Lake performed. Most people who do are not quite sure what the story is behind the expressive music and dance. Even more people have only heard the music. This delightful book makes the ballet and music more accessible for children and reflects a loving feeling for dance. If you have a young ballet dancer or ballerina (or aspiring ones), this book will be treasured by her or him. You will undoubtedly inspire their continued interest in ballet and classical music as a result.Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute. To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Swan Lake was one of her picks.From quite a young age, our daughter loved the ballet and would watch it on television or on videos. She studied ballet, but found that it was too difficult for her to do well. But she has retained her love of the art, and will be a devoted fan for life. The great strength of this book is that it simplifies a complex story down into a small child's version. A two or three year old can enjoy it, and a four year old will be riveted by this book. The romantic ten year old will still be charmed. A great part of the appeal comes from the water colors done by the author (who was a ballerina), which give a dream-like quality to the story. These are bright enough to attract a young child, and subtle enough to lend an appropriate mood of the story. The range of emotion is very well expressed in the scenes of nature. You should be aware that the ending has been made into a happy one. I think that was a good decision for a children's book. It reminds me of the line from "Never on Sunday" where the Greek tragedies were described as comedies because everyone came to life at the end and appeared on stage for a bow. The actual story of Swan Lake would create many nightmares for young children. So I approve of the adjustment here. They can graduate to the more adult version when they are older.The story emphasizes Siegfried's lack of caution at the ball when he mistakes the counterfeit appearance of Odile (induced by a magic spell by her sorcerer father, Von Rothbart) for his promised, Odette. That is a wonderful lesson for children in the importance of paying attention to detail.I suggest two activities with your child after reading this book. One would be to play the music or watch a video of the ballet. The other would be to talk about places where it makes sense to look carefully . . . such as before cro

A Beautiful Introduction to Ballet

My four-year-old daughter discovered this book at the library and has fallen in love with it. Even her older friends (7 and 9) enjoy reading it and acting out the story. Rachel Isadora has written a simple yet poignant story of the ballet Swan Lake which children from four to eight can understand and enjoy. Her beautiful impressionistic illustrations captivate children and adults alike and truly make both the story and the ballet come to life before your eyes. I highly recommend this book to all little girls, especially those interested in ballet.