Nina, Nina Star Ballerina (Penguin Young Readers, L2)
Gr. 1^-2. In the upcoming ballet performance ofNight Sky, Nina and the other girls will be stars, dancing around Eric, who plays the moon. Nina happily tells her best friend Ann about her part in the show, then is taken aback to hear Ann passing on the news that Nina will bethestar, rather thanastar. Reluctant to speak up at once, Nina is so troubled by the thought of discovery that she feigns a sore leg to avoid performance. Nina sets Ann straight before the show, where the young dancer makes "a pretty good star." Refreshingly childlike in the scale of Nina's problem and the emotional and practical results of its resolution, this short story focuses on feelings that beginning readers will recognize. O'Connor writes with simplicity and directness, but without sounding simplistic. DiSalvo-Ryan's sensitive drawings with watercolor washes enhance the book's appeal.Carolyn Phelan--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.