{"product_id":"trailblazer-the-story-of-ballerina-raven-wilkinson-9781499805925","title":"Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson","description":"This beautiful picture book tells the little-known story of Raven Wilkinson, the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company and an inspiration to Misty Copeland. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen she was only five years old, her parents took her to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eRaven perched on her crushed velvet seat, heard the tympani, and cried with delight even before the curtain lifted. From that moment on, her passion for dance only grew stronger.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNo black ballerina had ever danced with a major touring troupe before. Raven would be the first.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRaven Wilkinson was born on February 2, 1935, in New York City. From the time she was a little girl, all she wanted to do was dance. On Raven's ninth birthday, her uncle gifted her with ballet lessons, and she completely fell in love with dance. While she was a student at Columbia University, Raven auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and was finally accepted on her third try, even after being told she couldn't dance with them because of her skin color. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen she started touring with her troupe in the United States in 1955, Raven encountered much racism in the South, but the applause, alongside the opportunity to dance, made all the hardship worth it. Several years later she would dance for royalty with the Dutch National Ballet and regularly performed with the New York City Opera until she was fifty. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis beautiful picture book tells the uplifting story of the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company and how she became a huge inspiration for Misty Copeland. Theodore Taylor III's unique, heavy line style of illustration brings a deeper level of fluidity and life to the work, and Misty Copeland's beautifully written foreword will delight ballet and dance fans of all ages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Little Bee Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/16\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781499805925\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 40\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 11.10h x 8.70w x 0.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/15\/2017 pg. 45\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/20\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eHornbook Guide to Children\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2018 pg. 194 - Recommended, Satisfactory\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAccelerated Reader Quiz #\/Name: \u003c\/b\u003e194785 \/ Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/b\u003e 5.7 \/ \u003cb\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/b\u003e Lower Grade \/ \u003cb\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.5\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Leda Schubert","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36654611562652,"sku":"9781499805925","price":15.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_1a9e9592-d886-403f-a7df-6454a0c61708.jpg?v=1603883755","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/trailblazer-the-story-of-ballerina-raven-wilkinson-9781499805925","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}