To Dance: a ballerina’s graphic novel by Siena Cherson Siegel with artwork by Mark Siegel
To Dance tells the story of a young girl named Siena, who sees any wide, open space as an invitation to dance. Her family is very supportive of her and enrolls her in dance classes. As she gets older, she takes classes in Boston and later in NYC.
I’m guessing that Siena grew up during the late 70s and early 80s because she references her Walkman as the newest music player on the market. She also writes about dancing with ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov and also getting the opportunity to see him (and many other ballet stars) perform.
Any young, aspiring ballerina will find inspiration in this story. Siegel writes about how dance became a refuge for her when her parents were going through divorce and she beautifully describes the process of training tirelessly for one shining moment of glory on stage.
The writing style is casual in a way that makes the reader feel like he/she is listening to Siegel tell stories from her amazing life over a cup of tea. The elegant, simple illustrations complement the text nicely.
Recommendation: 4 out of 5 lupines
