Miss Lina's Ballerinas and the Wicked Wish
Possessing the same élan as Miss Lina’s Ballerinas (2010) and Miss Lina’s Ballerinas and the Prince (2011), this sequel places the 10 young dancers in a production of Sleeping Beauty. Regina is bereft to be cast as a rat instead of a garland girl, like the other ballerinas in her troupe. After she indulges in some wishful—and slightly ignoble—thinking, the dancer learns that none of the roles she coveted are the part she was truly meant to play. Davenier’s gently expressive illustrations, imbued with movement, complement the mostly flowing rhyming text. A glossary of ballet terms and a summary of the Sleeping Beauty ballet closes. Preschool-Grade 3. --Kristen McKulski