Ballerina Dreams: From Orphan to Dancer (Step Into Reading, Step 4)

Michaela DePrince and Elaine Deprince ∙ Illustrated by Frank Morrison

Paperback

Published on Oct 14, 2014 | 48 Pages

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Ebook

Published on Oct 14, 2014 | 48 Pages

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Grades 2–4
Ages 7–9

Perfect for newly independent readers—discover the amazing life of one of America’s top ballerinas, Michaela DePrince, whose story is soon to be told in a major motion picture directed by Madonna.

At the age of three, Michaela DePrince found a photo of a ballerina that changed her life. She was living in an orphanage in Sierra Leone at the time, but was soon adopted by a family and brought to America. Michaela never forgot the photo of the dancer she once saw, and quickly decided to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true. She has been dancing ever since and is now a principal dancer in New York City and has been featured in the ballet documentary First Position, as well as Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America, and Oprah magazine.

Young readers will love learning about this inspiring ballerina in this uplifting and informative leveled reader. This Step 4 Step into Reading book is for newly independent readers who read simple sentences with confidence.

"An engaging story of triumph, ideal for novice readers." —School Library Journal

"A title sure to attract ballet aficionados, with added appeal for its depiction of an adoptive family and a ballerina who just happens to be black."—Kirkus Reviews

ISBN 9780385755153 (Paperback)
Published on Oct 14, 2014
Published by Step into Reading
Pages 48
Dimensions 6 x 9
Age Range 7-9 years
Grade Grades 2-4
Reading Level Lexile: 660L | Fountas/Pinnell: P

ISBN 9780385755177 (Ebook)
Published on Oct 14, 2014
Published by Step into Reading
Pages 48
Age Range 7-9 years
Grade Grades 2-4
Reading Level Lexile: 660L | Fountas/Pinnell: P

Michaela DePrince

ABOUT THIS AUTHOR...
Michaela DePrince graduated from the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis school in New York, and is a dancer with the Dutch National Ballet. She travels between Amsterdam and Atlanta, where she lives with her family.

Elaine Deprince

Frank Morrison

Frank Morrison started his journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey, tagging walls with spray paint. It wasn’t until he visited the Louvre Museum in Paris with his dance group that he realized painting was his true creative path. His work has been featured at Art Basel, SCOPE Miami Beach, and Red Dot art fairs, and shown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He is the illustrator of over twenty children’s books, including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winners Standing in the Need of Prayer and R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award winner Jazzy Miz Mozetta, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor books Little Melba and Her Big Trombone and Let the Children March. Frank now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.