Dancing in the Wings

I enjoyed the thought of this book because I think Debbie Allen is an inspiration to Black ballerina's. Also I am a huge fan of Kadir Nelson's art. I was not so excited about the writing in this book. I felt as thought the paragraphs were lengthy and it was a bit challenging to follow the story line. I see a few comments on the store about the content of the book particularly the name calling, but I think it lends a good cultural element to the book. Growing up in an African-American household (and community)there tends to be a good deal of name calling; sometimes mean spirited but most times in love. But I believe teasing and name calling is the reality for many children in various cultures so I could relate. I think elements like sentence structure and fluidity were issues I felt held up the story. I like the idea of writing in the speech in which some kids speak because of the culture they come from, it reminds me of the way Zora Neale Hurston wrote, but there is a art to writing in that way and I don't feel Debbie Allen achieved that successfully. I think a re-write would be great with a co-author who is more experienced in writing children's books. It's not as easy as it seems.

I guess I should have believed the other reviewers about this book. My daughter loves anything ballerina and I was hoping to get her a book about it. This book has words in it that I do not want my 5 year old saying to others. When I read it to her, I have to skip over many words or make up sentences myself. I understand and like the overall theme of the book, however, this is one book that I had to put up away from her.

I ordered this book for my daughter's 6th birthday and it was one of the best $7 I've ever spent. My daughter laughed almost the entire way through the book. She wanted me to read it to her over and over again.

MMMMMk, so this book is about a little girl aspiring to be a ballerina. I got it because my daughter is 4 and taking dance classes so i thought a nice ballerina story was in order. Ummm i didn't really like this tho. We don't do name calling and teasing and things like that in our house. It's not acceptable. And even though i understand in the book it was mainly between the character and her brother, some of the comments were still a bit out of order. Especially with the main character and some of her dance counterparts. It is a good story however, a bit too grown for my kid.

I liked the illustrations but did not like the conflict resolution in this book. (Exp. The girl in this book was being called names by her brother, so she called him mean names back. The girls in ballet class were being mean, so she said mean things to them.)This is certainly not the message I want to teach my daughter. Had the main character in this book handled her adversaries more appropriately I would have probably enjoyed the read and had been able to focus on the positive messages being offered.

Dancing in the Wings is a beautifully illustrated story about a girl who loves to dance. The protagonist, Sassy dreams of dancing in the spotlight. During dance class Sassy
is teased because of her height. She is taller than the other girls and boys. Even though she feels discouraged, Sassy decides to audition for the summer concert. She is
determined to achieve her goal. The illustrations by Kadir Nelson are very detailed and amazing. The author, Debbie Allen has written this story to spread a message, never give up. I recommend this book for girls who like to dance or anyone who ever felt afraid to try. I have read this book many times and it remains my favorite.

I was shocked by this book's constant name-calling, insults, and put-downs -- that's not the kind of modeling I would ever want to teach my daughter. Also, my 5 year old daughter is tall for age and proud of it. Both her parents are tall and we've told her what a tall, beautiful woman she will be someday, what fun it is to be tall, etc. This is the first thing she ever encountered to suggest that being tall could be a negative -- something that could lead to one being teased, picked on, excluded from the dance recital, etc. Even though it all works out OK in the final pages of the book, the majority of this book tells the story of a tall girl who has a terrible time because she is tall. I was a tall child and I was never teased or excluded. While I'm sure it happens to some, I would like to hold out hope that my child will feel confident and proud of her body. I would never want to read her a book introducing the idea that she should be sad or ashamed of her height.

I gave it two stars instead of one because the illustrations are wonderful, and there aren't enough African-American ballet role models.

I'm a fifth grade elementary school teacher and work in a black neighborhood. Recently our theme for the week was the biography of the famous ballet star, Evelyn Cisneros.Unfortunately, our school library did not have any information on Cisneros at the time. Instead, our media specialist read this wonderful book by Debbie Allen of "FAME" fame. Well, let me tell you, my students never laughed so hard during a book. They just simply loved it.
Put-downs are a fact of life, especially (and unfortunately) in elementary school. I think the students really got the message loud and clear and in a fun and interesting, not preachy, way. As a class, we discussed how people are different and we need to accept others without making fun of them. It was also clear that we sound horrible when we tease and taunt each other, too. There were really great points of discussion above and beyond ballet and dancing.
Debbie Allen is truly talented and not just as a dancer! My students learned about the world of ballet, which was new to them. They were engaged while being read to and afterwards enjoyed talking and laughing about this book. I found it to be a tremendous teaching tool in that it opened up many topics of discussion that week and students connected to this book in an exciting way. It spoke to them in their own language and that's a difficult thing to do! My students can be hard to reach through books and yet Debbie Allen accomplished it with ease.
The pictures were a delight, very expressive. I will buy this book now and use it in my classroom every year. I strongly recommend this book as a teaching tool, in all neighborhoods. I hope Allen writes more for children soon.

I love books that are entertaining and teach a valuable lesson, which this book does. My 4-year old daughter absolutely loves Sassy!! When we read this book, she says that she is Sassy! My daughter recently had her recital after her first year of dance classes. This has been one of her favorite books during the year and in "preparation" for her recital. This book really touched my heart because my daughter is slim and tall for her age (the tallest in her dance class). She was also the only African-American in her class, which was a new experience for her. I love the way the book illustrates how being different doesn't have to be a negative, but can be a positive, depending on how you respond to it (an early lesson in self-esteeem and the beauty of diversity)! My daughter had a wonderful time in her ballet class and was not teased for being different. But I'm sure it will happen one day, as it does with all children. When it does, we can refer to her "Sassy book."

If you have children, they probably roil each other at times. In addition, they almost certainly point out the flaws of their siblings, like Sassy and Hughie do in Dancing in Wings. As a result, children often become self conscious about their attributes when they are actually gifts. More importantly, Debbie Allen's book can help neutralize the negative comments that a child may hear on a daily basis that undermines their confidence. In that respect, the book is about more than just about dancing.

Sassy dreams of being a dancer, and performing in ballet. Different from the kids her age, she prepares and auditions for the opportunity to make her dream come true.

With humor and well defined characters, the story will move and entertain you. The beautiful illustrations complement the story. My daughter loves dance and this book provides the positive message I want for her: Dream, work hard, believe in yourself, and as a result good things can happen. You will enjoy reading this with a child.

Self-esteem issues, being encouraged to pursue ones' dreams and overcoming obstacles are key elements in African-American children's books. I loved the way Debbie Allen combined them all together in this highly recommended book. Superb story, Ms. Allen! Cherlina Works - author of Jewel's Magical Christmas.

Wonderfully expressive in pictures and words. Great story with a classic message in a relatable setting: Believe in yourself, pursue your dreams regardless of your perceived obstacles. This book remains a favorite of my girls who are both dancers 5 and 10 years old. I love reading this book outloud to my youngest daughter. In her words she said the book is "beautiful." Thank you Debbie Allen.
p.s. Now I'm just waiting in the wings for someone to make this into a t.v. movie.

I really liked this book. It has a lesson everyone can value. The point of the book is that being different from the majority is good. Often times the people who get recongnized are very unique.
In this story the main character is very tall, and has big feet. She looks at thoses qualities as being something to be ashamed of. She is the tallest one in her dance class, and gets made fun of quite often.
When all the dancers compete for a chance to perform in Washington, D.C, Sassy(the main charcter) gets chosen. She was chosen because she was different than all the other dancers. As you can tell the moral of the book is that being different can be a positive thing.

My 5 year old daughter was drawn to this primarily because the art looked just like her and she loves ballet. This book is beautifully drawn. The artwork alone warrants a 5 star rating. The dialogue is not written in standard English grammar, is horribly stereotypical and does nothing to advance the narrative. I found myself skipping portions of the dialogue, while reading this aloud to my children, as some of it was just unnecessarily rude and atrocious.
Unfortunately, this is available in elementary schools and does nothing but perpetuate the negative stereotype of "typical black speak".
Even though the book tells a great story, and is beautifully drawn, I do not recommend this because of the dialogue.