Kid Konnection: Swan

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week I'm going to share with you a gorgeous picture book about famous dancer.

Summary: One night, young Anna’s mother takes her to the ballet, and everything is changed. So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous prima ballerina of all time, inspiring legions of dancers after her: the brave, the generous, the transcendently gifted Anna Pavlova. Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova is a heartbreakingly beautiful picture book biography perfect for aspiring ballerinas of all ages. -- Chronicle

SWAN: THE LIFE AND DANCE OF ANNA PAVLOVA by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Julie Morstad is a very special biography about a very important woman. Anna Pavlova is arguably the most famous ballerina of all times, and this beautifully illustrated picture book brings her to life through beautiful prose.

SWAN tells the story of Anna, a young girl living in Russia in the late 1800s. She grew up very poor but her life was forever changed when her mom took her to see a ballet one evening. Anna fell in love with the art of dance, despite not having the body or feet for ballet. She worked extra hard to become a ballerina, and she captured the world with her dance.

I absolutely loved SWAN. Both the words and the pictures are just beautiful, and little ballerinas are going to love this book. This picture book not only celebrates Anna Pavlova's life but also the history of ballet. It's just stunning.

I knew very little about Anna Pavlova, so I definitely appreciated that this poetic story featured her life. After finishing this book, I wanted to know more about her. Fortunately, the author included a brief bio in the back of the book that answered many of my questions. I had no idea that Anna reinforced her ballet shoes because her feet were arched... and her "invention" led to modern day pointe shoes. I also was surprised to learn that she died very young because of pneumonia or pleurisy. In addition, I loved learning that Anna brought ballet to the masses!

SWAN is a beautiful picture book but also one that teaches children about a very special woman. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!