Ella’s Dance Debut brings a magical story of a young girl’s life as a dancer, but Ella is not that girl. It is her umbrella, “Ella.” This imaginative story surrounds Ella the umbrella's life, riding the bus, going to dance classes, and getting ready for Ashton's big recital. Ella loves music and motion as much as Ashton does. When Ella learns that umbrellas will be used by the dancers, she is so excited, but things don’t go exactly as planned. For those who have read other books in this series, I promise you won't be disappointed.
Book Review by DonnaBook Review: Ella's Dance Debut
This book’s imaginative approach to storytelling injects childlike magic into an everyday scenario by telling it from an umbrella’s point of view. The whimsical, colorful illustrations by Emilia Ruminska not only bring the story to life but shine with the love of dance. With Ella’s Dance Debut, Once Upon a Dance delivers another interactive, entertaining tale for young children and early readers as Ballerina Konora joins in the story with photos that encourage kids to act out movements in the story. I love this concept.
This interaction with the story encourages imaginative play by an award-winning ballet teacher! I give this book five stars. While it is recommended for young children interested in dance as it features ballet terms and steps, I think this story will appeal to young children who love music, and those who love to pretend even if they are not involved in dance.
Other books by Once Upon a Dance that I recommend include:
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About the authors
Once Upon a Dance offers movement, breath, joy, connection, and imagination through stories.
Their catalog of 25 interactive dance books highlights positive messages and role models throughout four main series:
Dance-It-Out! stories combine whimsical tales with movement and subtle life lessons (spans ages 4-9)
Dancing Shapes peeks at a professional ballerina’s journey, teaches ballet, and explores detail and form (spans ages 6-11)
Ballet Inspiration and Choreography Concepts deep dives into technique, tips, and insight for aspiring dancers (ages 8-12)
Prop-Based Dance Stories for Classroom and Anytime Fun debuts in 2023 to encourage scarf and parachute play.