Joann Ferrara

What an incredibly beautiful story of some incredibly determined little ballerinas! Joann Ferrara was a physical therapist in Queens and saw a need for a special dance class for some very special little dancers. She created a ballet class for students with cerebral palsy. These little girls dreamed of being ballerinas, but other dance studios were unable to accommodate their special circumstances. This is when Joann stepped up and helped these amazing little dancers achieve their dreams!
The show more story is beautiful and the photographs contained throughout are so uplifting! Each of the smiles that the reader sees on each of these precious little girls' faces is enough to make your heart sing! If I had to identify one aspect of the book that did not quite appeal to me (and it is really nit-picky), it would be the text color of the photo captions. I know, it is so minute, but I would be lying if I said it didn't distract me from the story. The text of the story is black and the photo caption text is white. The background color of the entire book is pink, so the white on pink combination was a little tough to read at times (and I have perfect eyesight). If it were just a small little caption, it wouldn't have bothered me so much, but the captions, at times, almost continued the story. I hate to even mention something so trivial, but I think a small adjustment to font choice, color, or placement would have made it much better.
Please do not let my small discrepancy persuade you from reading this beautiful book! The story of these little ballerinas preparing for their first on-stage performance left this dance teacher with tears in her eyes. Anytime you can read about a child accomplishing a dream is amazing! There is nothing better than seeing a child succeed and feel a sense of accomplishment. show less

Five young girls all had the same dream, to be ballerinas. They wanted to be just like other girls, girls who get to dance on a stage wearing tutus and tiaras. But, these girls were not like other little girls, they each had muscle disorders, like cerebral palsy, and they have trouble moving. Fortunately, all of these girls were able to learn ballet and even put on a beautiful recital, called "Wishes and Dreams" thanks to their dance teacher, Joann, and special helpers who help them dance on show more stage.
This book is truly beautiful and inspiring, these girls never once gave up or complained. They did not allow their disability to stop them from chasing their dreams. I loved seeing all of the pictures of them throughout the book, they were constantly smiling and laughing. I also enjoyed the end of the book that told a little bit more about cerebral palsy as well as the "meet the ballerinas" afterward that told about each ballerina. show less

Nicole, Shekinah, Veronica, Abbey and Monica are five little girls, ages three to seven, whose dreams of being ballerinas are about to come true. Joann Ferrara, a physical therapist, started a ballet class for these girls when she heard their parent's saying how they wanted the girls to be able to take ballet like other kids. This ballet class replaces the physical therapy sessions required for people with Cerebral Palsy (Erb's palsy in one case). I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't until show more one of the very last page in the book that it Cerebral Palsy was even mentioned. These were five adorable happy children who finally got to perform in their recital, to be real ballerinas. The information given at the end of the book about cerebral palsy is a great addition for readers. show less

This is an extremely touching book that brought tears to my eyes. I was able to read this to a three year old girl I know that loves dancing. She saw the book on the table and immediately asked "Can you read me the ballerina book?" She did not notice one difference between those girls and when she dances. The only reason she even noticed the helpers with the girls was because she thought one looked like her mom. I love this book because even those that need some physical help still want to show more go on stage and dance. There is actually a dance company in Atlanta called Full Radius Dance and their mission is to promote "physically integrated dance." When I first saw this book, it immediately reminded me of that company. They have both physically capable and physically disabled adults that dance together. Both the book and dance company, show us how beautiful we all are and how we can all achieve this art form even if it is in a different way. show less