Two Ballerinas dance on the pages of this charming story of ballet passion. Danika loves ballet. She translates each ordinary aspect of her life into a remarkable dance performance. Ballerina Konora (a professional ballerina) joins the fun with how-to instructions and photos for kids who want to dance along with Danika, Penelope the cat, and their animal friends. This educational children's book serves to instruct children on dancing while also delivering a very sweet story. I think it's cute that Korona creates and demonstrates dance steps for every illustration and story plot whether or not it's part of a dance. For example, when Danika has had all the fun she can have, she decides to lay down and take a nap. Korona shows readers how to do a sitting spin on the floor before demonstrating how to curl up for a nap. The illustrations are beautiful and very realistic . Danika's dress, while dancing with the vacuum, is gorgeous with an almost opalescent glow. All the illustrations are as bright and colorful throughout the book. I especially love the little woodland animals in the backyard. The illustrator has put a great amount of detail into the nature scenes, and every time I look, I spot something new: a bird, chipmunk, a dragonfly, cute little things I love picking out from the landscape. There are extra dance instructions at the bottom of the page that provide extra content, and value, to the book but I found it hard to understand sometimes. I think that a good audience for this book is children between the ages of five and seven ; kids who are likely highly energetic. This is why I think this book is best read with an adult who can read the instructional material that is provided. But older children will easily be able to take the time to learn the steps. The dance instructions use dance terminology and are accompanied by visuals as well. The story is adorable , and young readers will enjoy the story as parents help them work on their dancing. The illustration of Danika's mother is beautiful and wholesome. This book is absolutely charming , and I love how the book serves the double purpose of instructing little kids on how to dance. It makes me wonder if I would have loved dancing more if I read a book like this when I was a kid. I was not lucky enough to have an encouraging dance teacher; however, this book is full of positive, fun-loving vibes and delivers such a beautiful message . —Literary Titan Once Upon a Dance's mission is to provide kids movement, joy, and imagination through stories. Their catalog offers four primary book series: - Dance-It-Out Creative Movement Stories for Young Movers, for ages 4-7, offers the imagination 'stage' alongside whimsical characters in quirky stories with Ballerina Konora as an optional movement guide. - Dancing Shapes: Ballet and Body Awareness for Young Dancers, for ages 6-9, provides a glimpse into Ballerina Konora's journey, a warm-up, mini-ballet lesson, and an exploration of detail and form. - Ballet Inspiration and Choreography Concepts for Young Dancers, for ages 8+, looks at basic ballet technique, imparts dance wisdom, and discusses performance and choreographic aspects of dance. (Debuts March 2022) - Konora's Shapes: Poses for Creative Movement & Ballet Teachers provides images intended to be cut from the book for use in the classroom or at home-a brilliant resource for dance, physical education, and homeschool teachers.The books are designed by a mother-daughter duo. Mom taught creative movement and ballet for decades and was recognized by her city council for "embodying the spirit of partnership and commitment to children in our community" for her work with young dancers. Daughter is a professional ballet dancer.