The latest book in the Angelina Ballerina series takes the little mouse across the sea, where she visits her aunt Violet and cousin Jeanie before her performance in the upcoming Big Cheese Dance Show. Bored by ballet, Jeanie talks excitedly (and relentlessly) about tap dancing instead. Soon, Angelina doubts herself and her art, but she perseveres, practicing the fairy dance she has choreographed for the show. As she dances in her moonlit bedroom, Jeanie quietly watches, enchanted, and changes her opinion of ballet. On stage, the cousins combine their dance forms and support each other. The text contrasts the country mouse city mouse cousins while delivering an appealing story that celebrates vibrant urban life as well as friendship. Tinted with watercolor washes, Craig's precise, detailed ink drawings bring the characters to life in settings such as the Empire Cheddar Building and the interior of a theater during a Broadway "mousical." A charming change of scene for this little English ballerina.

Angelina travels to the Big Cheese, a city clearly styled after New York, to dance with her cousin in the Big Cheese Dance Show. Once she and her cousin resolve their competition--which is better, tap or ballet?--they perform a special duet. Like the other books about Angelina, this one will satisfy her young fans with its customary feminine details.

K-Gr 3 When the young mouse visits her Aunt Violet and Cousin Jeanie in the Big Cheese, she listens to her cousin rave about tap dancing and worries that her ballet might not be good enough for The Big Cheese Dance Show, the reason she has come to the city. True to her optimistic style, Angelina is determined to put on a good show. She and Jeanie work together to put on their own mix of tap and ballet and are a hit at the show. The bright pastel watercolors match the exuberant ballerina as she explores the bustling city. Fun details will give kids something new to discover each time they read the story. Another enjoyable adventure in the series. Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY