Misty Copeland

Ballerina Misty Copeland, a soloist at the American Ballet Theatre, presents this poetic picture-book to young dancers just like her, hoping to encourage them to dream big. Opening with a moment of despair, from one such hypothetical dancer, who maintains that she "could never hope to leap the space between" herself and Misty, the narrative counters this with words of fellow-feeling and encouragement, as the object of the young dancer's admiration (Misty herself) assures her that she too was show more once an aspiring youngster with insecurities of her own. Eventually though, through hard work and maintaining one's dreams, that space between the two - the professional ballerina and the hopeful young dancer - will close...

Firebird is a lovely book, pairing Misty Copeland's poetic and heartfelt message of encouragement for young dancers, especially young African-American ballet dancers, with gorgeous collage-style artwork from Christopher Myers. I always wonder, with authors famous in other areas of endeavor who decide to try their hand at writing children's books, whether the work they produce will be worth reading. I need not have worried here, as the narrative is just lovely: expressive, poetic, and ultimately both poignant and uplifting. The artwork was beautiful, with a sense of vibrancy and movement that complemented the narrative perfectly. Myers definitely deserved the accolades he won for this one, including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Recommended to Misty Copeland fans, and to all young would-be ballerinas, especially African-American ones. show less

I love classical ballet but not its lack of non-white female dancers (for some reason, brown and black men seem to be more acceptable). Misty Copeland is one of the few black women who have made it to soloist/principal in a major American company. Her story of hardship is very inspiring. She came up through the Boys and Girls Clubs in California, with minimal support from her parents. She found mentors who quickly saw her talent and drive. Misty has such an elemental joy in performing that show more shines through in the book. She handles very tough decisions - emancipation from her mother, racism all around her in ABT (American Ballet Theater), recovery from injuries. One of the best parts is her collaboration with Prince, who turns out to be as sweet, shy, and thoughtful as we all thought. I can't wait to see her dance! show less

A fascinating life story, with lots of personal and straightforward reflection on the intersections of race/racism/blackness/whiteness/privilege and professional ballet. I found Copeland's struggle to work through which demands and decisions are racist, sexist (though I don't believe the book uses this word), and/or "superficial" -- in an art form that, as she emphasizes, is visual and aesthetic and about how bodies look onstage -- really interesting, along with her related thoughts on the show more tension between fitting in (a line of dancers blending seamlessly in the choreography) and standing out, showing one's own personality, insisting on being "a brown cat" instead of having white makeup for the Puss in Boots role yet again, that sort of thing.

However, the book could have used more rigorous editing to reduce repetition and smooth out the chronology. I felt really bored and ready to be done for the last 80 pages or so; the book just sort of lost its momentum, its own sense of motion. show less

Sparse, tender poetry communicates powerful ideas about representation in a really accessible way. The symmetrical beginning and ending made me cry. Such an important poem for artists of all ages, especially those who don't see themselves represented in their art.

As someone in a widely represented demographic, I found Copeland's message to be universal - we look at the heroes in our art form and think that we could never be as good as they are, but they started out right where we were. show more Copeland says that, but in completely gorgeous prose, and accompanied by stunning artwork of Black ballerinas. The impact is a really moving book that has a strong message about representation that everyone can hear and appreciate.

A really lovely book. show less