A Ballerina Book: Angelina Ballerina – “Angelina and the Tummy Butterflies”

“Angelina and the Tummy Butterflies” is another book in the “Angelina Ballerina” series of children’s books. This book was inspired by “Angelina Ballerina” author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig. It was published in 2013 by Grosset & Dunlap, Penguin Young Readers Group.

Just like my children’s book, “The Triplet Ballerinas”, “Angelina and the Tummy Butterflies” opens with the words, “One (beautiful) spring day…”. On the way to dance class, Angelina and her friend, Alice, are practicing the poems they must memorize for the next day. Alice keeps forgetting the words to her poem though and even their jazz dance class doesn’t take Alice’s mind off thoughts of her poem. After class, Alice is still nervous, and Ms. Mimi, their dance teacher, tells Alice about the “tummy butterflies” she gets when she is nervous. This doesn’t help Alice, she is still nervous, but it does give Angelina a great idea that involves a butterfly jazz dance. “Angelina and the Tummy Butterflies” is more a book about jazz dancing rather than ballet, but I love any kind of dancing in a children’s picture book. I also love the snapshot illustrations of Angelina and her friends that are so vivid and lifelike in this book. Beverly