Thursday, 6 October 2011

Dogs Don't Do Ballet by Anna Kemp

This book pretty much had me at the title. And at the gorgeous cover illustration. It would take a stronger person than I to resist a pug in a tutu. Fortunately the story lives up to the cover. 

Dogs Don't Do Ballet is about a nameless little girl who is mad about ballet. So is her dog, Biff. Everyone keeps telling him that dogs don't do ballet,  but when he sneaks into a performance by the Royal Ballet in which the prima ballerina falls over, he's able to take over and save the day. 

I really loved this book. It's written in a very simple style and the illustrations (by Sara Ogilvie) are hilarious. The dog's expressions are conveyed brilliantly and, like I said, a pug in a tutu? What's not to love? It also features the message that you can be anything you want to be and you shouldn't let others dictate your dreams. Can't read that too often. 

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