Townsend, a black child in 1950s California, dreams of being a ballerina. Her family can-t afford lessons, so she makes her way to the bookmobile, requests ballet books, and trains herself: -At home, I begin reading, building my own barre, learning the positions-first, second, third.- She begins teaching the neighborhood children what she learns. When her fourth grade teacher offers to pay for lessons, dance schools demur: -School three whispers, -It just can-t be,- letting the real reason slip-ballet is for white girls.- But her own students won-t let her give up, and she finally finds a dance teacher who recognizes her talent. Townsend-s determined spirit shines through the engaging first-person narration, and Gibson-s

K-Gr 3 Sylvia Townsend grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1950s amid intense racial division. Inspired by a television performance of Swan Lake , she started to practice ballet with a homemade tutu, slippers, and barre. Townsend's family couldn't afford lessons but lovingly encouraged her dreams. When a bookmobile came to her neighborhood, she gathered the ballet books to study. Townsend began to give lessons to neighborhood kids who were eager to become dancers. Eventually, a school teacher recognized Townsend's talent and offered to pay for lessons. Unfortunately, schools refused to accept Townsend because she was black. At a school talent show performance, a classmate's father suggested she audition for a Russian ballet teacher named Madame Sawicka. Sawicka awarded Townsend with a dance scholarship. Townsend eventually opened her own dance school. Rhythmic prose, with active verbs like jive, sway, soar , and float , convey movement and draw readers into Townsend's purposeful but joyful practice sessions. Gibson's illustrations of Townsend's early family life and dance practices express hope, wonder, and disappointment. The horizontal compositions have flowing, rounded lines and convey the perspective of a child. VERDICT This picture book biography of self-taught ballerina Sylvia Townsend is a tale of ambition and perseverance. A satisfying addition to nonfiction collections for younger readers. Lauren Younger, University of Dallas Library