What a lovely picture book about the dance world and cultural traditions. Picture books like this that present kids building confidence in themselves while honoring their identities and cultures are helpful to share with students - even if they aren't dancers.

This is a beautiful picture book about dance!

Paro is a dancer attending her first ballet class. She is trying to use her knowledge of Bharatanatyam, but feels like her skills are not meshing with what is needed for ballet class. Paro enjoys her time in class with her friends (the class is a diverse group of children who present as 4 girls and 3 boys), and she and two friends share some dance moves. The fun section about dessert dancers will be a hit with any primary dance group. But Paro still feels like what she knows might not matter in ballet class.

Paro’s mom and ballet instructor help Paro and the class see that different styles of dance can work together. The artwork captures a dramatic entrance into ballet class brilliantly!

I love that this book was inspired by Rukhmini Devi Arundale (An important Bharatanatyam dancer) and Anna Pavlova ( A Russian Ballerina). The back matter explains how Rukhmini Devi wanted to become a dancer and was able to learn from Anna Palova for a short time, and then returned to India to learn and promote Bharatanatyam (which sent me to learn more about their interactions).

I grew up dancing ballet, tap and jazz, and was not really exposed to other forms of dance. Styles of dance beyond ballet also have rich traditions, and seeing Bharatanatyam in a picture book makes my heart happy. I have watched students performs Bharatanatyam and other traditional dance styles - but have not seen picture book representation until now!

I hope this is the beginning of more dance style variety in Children’s books.

Thank you to @annick_press and @netgalley for the digital arc to review. I look forward to seeing the final version!

Paro comes from a dancing family, but ballet is nothing like Bharatanatyam.

Worry and a flurry of anxiety arises.

Can she do it?
Will she fit in?
Will the kids laugh?
Will anyone understand?
Could she be both a ballerina who dances like fairies and Bharatanatyan dancer who dances like a queen?

A very relatable story about acceptance and navigating our cultural and social identities. Can we weave them all together and be accepted, while still being our authentic selves?

This story is about a little girl whose mother dances a traditional cultural dance called Bharatanatyam. When Paro begins ballet lessons she is very worried that she will not be good enough because she is more familiar with other dance moves. Through the course of the story she comes to see that there are many types of dance, each unique and special, and that dancers can learn any style.

As a grade 3 teacher I could definitely see having this book in my classroom library or using it to introduce a lesson on cultural traditions and acceptance of diversity. The book is suggested for K-2 or ages 4-7 which I think is appropriate, but I think my Grade 3s would enjoy it as well. I would definitely recommend this to other early years teachers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this great book!

Bharatanatyam in ballet shoes is a book about two different cultures and their similarities. Paro is excited to learn ballet but she is worried that she will not fit in. Her fears seem to come true when other classmates do better moves than Paro and Paro's training in Bharatanatyam does not help. Paro is scared of failing to learn a new dance and her mother helps her fit in both cultures. Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes celebrates dance and the spirit of oneness. While the story is good and the message is clear, the illustrations could have been better.

This is a really cute story about a little girl who is trying to figure out how her love of a traditional Indian dance fits into her ballet class. I really appreciated that the “solution” to the problem in the book was for the mom to showcase her Bharatanatyam dancing for the ballet class - even in books, it’s important to show how families should be involved in sharing their culture and traditions to classrooms of children.

I received an electronic ARC from Annick Press Ltd through NetGalley.
Delightful Own Voices picture book that captures the challenge of figuring out how to be who you are and try new challenges also.
Paro is from a family who dances and she wants to dance too. She attends ballet class but struggles as she already knows Bharatanatyam and moves her body in those moves. Sadly, she decides she can't dance until her mom comes and dances Bharatanatyam and ballet along with Para's ballet teacher.
Lovely illustrations capture the movements, joy and freedom in dance as well as showing the characters' feelings.
Don't miss the author's information at the end. She shares her inspiration for this story and further information on Bharatanatyam dance.

I had so much just reading this picture book! the illustrations are so colorful and your eyes are drawn to every detail on the page. Learning about Bharatanatyam through Paro's eyes was such an adventure, I can't wait to use this book for our storytimes.

What a delightful book!!!

Inspired by the story of Prima Ballerina Anna Pavlova and Bharatanatyam icon Rukmini Devi Arundale, this is fun little story of a girl who really wants to do ballet but her body keeps going Bharatanatyam and she ends up thinking she cannot do both. Enter a fun surprise in her next class and she learns she CAN do both and also helps her friends learn a new dance as well.

A simply fantastic way to explore other cultures and history, this will encourage conversations galore and the brightly colored illustrations will also keep littles entertained as well. Just fantastic!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Mahak Jain, Anu Chouhan [Illustrator], and Annick Press Ltd./Annick Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was inspired by the real-life ballet and Bharatanatyam dance crossovers that occured in the early-mid 20th century between Anna Pavlova and Rukmini Devi Arundale. I love that the author included historical references, as well as directions to make your own anklet bells.

The story of a little girl who is nervous to try ballet and thinks she can't be both a bharatanatyam dancer as well as a ballerina is one that will likely resonate with young readers who have ever tried to code switch between two cultures. I think that the illustrations, the writing, and the unique way that she is able to resolve her identities makes this a wonderful read aloud for all ages.

I highly recommend this book for any library, classroom, or even dance school!

Thank you so much to @annick_press for sending me an arc of this sweet homage to Tamil dance culture. You had me sold just based on the cover. Never thought I would see Bharatanatyam in a children's book. Mahak Jain has done such a good job of showcasing the grace of our traditional dance.

--
"Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes" is a love letter to dance. It also encourages children to embrace every aspect of their cultural identity.

We first meet Paro as she attends her first ballet class. Paro comes from a dance background. Her mother is a very talented Bharatanatyam dancer and has taught Paro well.

Paro is very excited to learn ballet, but is suddenly overcome with doubt. What if she isn't as good as the other kids in her class? She can't seem to stop moving like a Bharatanatyam dancer while trying to dance ballet.

She comes to the conclusion that she can't be both a ballerina and a Bharatanatyam dancer. So she tells her mother that she wants to stop Bharatanatyam in favor of ballet.

Paro's mother, with the aid of her ballet teacher, decides to show Paro that she doesn't need to discard her love for Bharatanatyam. Sometimes different cultures can blend together and create wonderful results.

I'm so happy this story exists. I spent a lot of time as a kid watching Bharatanatyam. A few of my cousins learned it. They often showcased their graceful dances at family parties and other cultural events. The choreography and pretty costumes made it a real treat to watch.

At the heart of this story is a message about being proud of who you are. You should never feel like you have to give up one side of your identity in order to embrace the other. Identity should be fluid.

Also the Oscar goes to Anu Chouhan for the loveliest illustrations. Your drawings of Paro's mom in her dance outfits are utter perfection.

I love this! I have never heard of Bharatamatyam but this story makes it easy to enjoy either way. This book shows what it’s like to be stuck in between the world you know and the one you live in. Also the peer pressure to fit in with your friends. In the end she learned to be herself without forgetting where she came from.

Thank you to Annick Press and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review!

Fantastic read! Paro is nervous about taking ballet because all she’s known is Bharatanatyam dancing. She feels out of place and grapples with her cultural identity as an Indian girl from a family of dancers.

My heart felt so sad watching her struggle to blend in with the other kids, feeling defeated in so many ways. I love how she overcomes her fears and sees that she can enjoy the best of both worlds together. That she can just love dance.

The back matter information was helpful in providing context to the story and made me appreciate it even more. I liked that the author based this off a true story between renowned dancers Rukmini Devi Arundale (Indian Bharatanatyam dancer) and Anna Pavlova (Russian ballet dancer).

"Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes" is a colorful celebration of dance. The story was enjoyable, the illustrations were divine, and I loved how diverse and inclusive all of the characters were.

This book was beautiful; I even teared up at the end! The illustrations were fantastic. I loved learning about the shared history of Bharatanatyam and ballet, and about Ghungroo's and how you can make your own.

My favorite part was when the mom came into the dance class in her Bharatanatyam outfit and her and the ballet teacher danced side by side. Kids often feel othered. This book discusses that in an accessible way. Beautiful and colorful illustrations make the book very pleasant to look at.

I wanted to enjoy this picture book more a lot more than I did. I was excited to see something that showcased the wonderful style of Bharatnatyam, and this picture book does a great job at doing just that - as a children's introduction to two different forms of dance, it's lovely.

However, I didn't really enjoy reading it. The style danced about - at times, it felt comic-y, other times it almost rhymed, and then some times it was just a straight picture book. It's also felt on the long side. And while I appreciated the author included a "Behind the Scenes" (why I was inspired to write this book) section, the section itself is no way readable by young readers...or even readable to young readers this book is aimed at. This applies to the What's in a Name section as well. Which begs the question, why include them? The Make Some Sound section however works as it gives the young minds something to actual do (as opposed to a simple 500 word history lesson).

The art style is well done. I enjoyed the bright colours and animated illustrations.Though very few of the illustrations stayed with me even a few minutes after completing the book.

Unfortunately, 2.5/5.

I thought this was such a beautiful picture book. I love how this book shows how dance is universal and how we can learn from each other. I love how children can get the taste of the traditional dance of Bharatanatyam and mixing it with ballet.

Paro doesn't think that she will ever be able to combine the fairy-like dancing of the Ballet with the queen-like dancing of the Bharatanatyam and feels so out-of-place with her fellow ballet students. But she has a BIG surprise coming! This absolutely marvelous book is so amazingly illustrated and a lesson to us all! What a gift it is to learn about the dances of other cultures!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Annick Press Ltd. via NetGalley. Thank you!

Super cute!
The pictures are beautiful and fun and the story is lovely and cute. I would have absolutely loved this story as a young ballerina.
The formatting for the ARC made the last few pages unreadable so I can't comment on their content but I appreciate when a children's book has activity ideas at the end.

This was a lovely children's book exploring how a dance style like ballet can be infused with other different cultural dances! The illustrations were bright and beautiful, infused with love and movement.