Firebird

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 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 show more 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

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. 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.

I absolutely loved reading this picture book! From the beginning the story has you hooked. The illustrations grab you instantly. They’re filled with vibrant colors and are put together to look like they’re a bunch of cut outs pasted on the page. This type of illustration makes the readers eyes wander and take in the whole story. The descriptive language engages the reader write away. “I’m gray as rain, heavy as naptime, low as a storm pressing on rooftops.” The reader can instantly relate to the language used through out and picture what’s going on in their heads, even without the illustrations. The big picture behind this book is for the reader to feel empowered and inspired. Although an African American dancer wrote it, show more many dancers can relate to the dreams the character has. “The space between you and me is longer than forever and I will show them that forever is not so far away.” The gives the reader hope that their dreams to become a dancer can come true with just a little hard work and perseverance. show less

This book touches on the idea that everyone has a start and can do big things when they put their mind to it. It is written about the author, Misty Copeland, a well-known ballerina. This book could be a great addition to a classroom library and help students to see themselves represented within the classroom. It could also pair well with a lesson on biographical non-fiction to show that biographies could be written in different ways.

This is an amazing book about Firebird ballet. Misty wrote it, which makes me think she experienced the things that we see the young girl in the book go through. In the story, Misty Copeland lets a young aspiring dancer know "I was just like you!". As the young girl begins to get discouraged and has negative thoughts in her mind, Misty tells her that she herself wasn't always so graceful. It takes practice. I love the message, and it was delivered with beautiful words and images. The book gave me chills. I think Misty Copeland is arguably one of the most inspirational athletes of my lifetime.

The book "Firebird" by Misty Copeland and illustrated by Christopher Myers, is about a girl's struggle to become a beautiful ballerina. She does not have a lot of self confidence, but with the help of her teacher, she realizes her greatness. I think this book is great for students because it shows them that they can be anything they want to be, as long as believe in themselves and put their best foot forward. That is not to say that there will not be struggles, because there will be, but when their dreams become a reality, it will all be worth it. This book hits home for me. I am a future teacher and as I progress further into the elementary education program, I realize how vital it will be for my students to have a passionate, happy show more teacher. Growing up, I struggled with self confidence and being shy, but this book has given me a new perspective on how much self esteem can affect someone. The beautiful illustrations in this book compliment the amazing writing. show less

In my opinion this is an excellent book that demonstrates the many struggles that young girls go through involving their self-esteem or the questioning of their abilities. The language is descriptive and written in a more poetic style then informational or story telling. The author uses lines such as, "I was a dancer just like you, a dreaming shooting star of a girl with work and a worlds ahead". The story that she is trying to tell takes a bit more thinking for the reader to figure out exactly what she is trying to say. This is one of the reasons I really enjoyed this book, but it could then be difficult for younger readers to understand. The characters are well developed, telling the story of a young girl who has a dream but needs to show more work very hard to achieve it, which is relatable to anyone who wants to achieve something in life. The plot is well paces and climaxes towards the end, keeping the readers on their toes throughout the story. The illustrations enhanced the story tremendously with many bright colors and different textures being used to demonstrate a collage that then forms one cohesive picture in the end. The big idea of this text is to never doubt your abilities and that with hard work you can achieve anything your heart desires, just like the character in the story. show less