Dempsey, Kristy. A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream. Floyd Cooper, Illus. Picture Book. Philomel, 2014. [32]p. $16.99. 978-0-399-25284-6. OUTSTANDING. GRADES PRE-3.
An African American girl wishes on invisible stars in the Harlem night sky to become a ballerina. Her mama works, cleaning and fitting costumes for a ballet school. When “Miss Janet Collins…first colored prima ballerina” comes to perform at the
Met, the girl and her mama go to see the performance, helping to solidify the girl’s hopes and dreams. Dempsey’s lyrical writing floats readers into the dreamy world of dance. Master artist Floyd Cooper immerses us into the soft pinks, yellows, and browns of 1950s New York, giving the hint of old photographs.
Sheila Dickinson, Richmond PL