Velasquez, Eric. Polar Bear and the Ballerina, The. Eric Velasquez, Illus. Holiday House, 10/2025. [40]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-8234-4918-7. GRADES Preschool–3. OUTSTANDING.
In this compelling wordless picture book, a young ballet dancer sees a polar bear at the zoo and imagines dancing with him. At the same time, the bear escapes from the Central Park Zoo and attends the ballet performance. Set in New York City, most of the audience is made up of people of color, and the young dancers are Black. The dramatic illustrations, done in oil paint, are dominated by deep blues, soft white for the bear and the ballet costumes, and red for the scarves worn by the bear and the young principal dancer. The final spread and endnote identify the main dancer, who is a real person named Chloe Maldonado, with the El Barrio Ballet Academy in Spanish Harlem. The lack of a printed text parallels how ballet tells a story without using words, allowing readers to focus on the details in the exemplary illustrations. The book opens with a two-page gatefold spread that may need reinforcement to hold up to library circulation.
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool