By Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
The true story of a poor, frail little girl who saw a ballet once and decided that was going to be her whole life.
Anna grew up poor and often sick in Russia, until her mother took her to see a ballet one winter night and everything changed. From that moment Anna knew she would be a ballerina. She was told she was too thin, too weak, her feet the wrong shape, but she worked harder than anyone, got into the famous Imperial Ballet School, and became one of the greatest dancers the world has ever seen. She toured the whole globe so that children everywhere could see ballet, and the light, airy dessert called the pavlova is named after her to this day.
This is a real dancer's whole life told simply enough for a young child to follow, and it carries the message a serious little dancer needs most: the greats were once small and unsure too, and they got there by practicing when it was hard. The Little People, Big Dreams books are made for exactly this age, with warm illustrations and a fact timeline with real photos at the back. For a child who wants their heroes to be real, not made up, Anna Pavlova is a gorgeous place to start.