Dogs Don’t Do Ballet by Anna Kemp

a. Bibliographic data
Kemp, Anna. 2010. DOGS DON’T DO BALLET. Ill. by Sarah Oligvie. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 141699839X

b. Brief plot summary
Biff has one dream: to become a star ballerina. His young owner understands his desire but her father and ballet instructor repeatedly tell her, “Dogs don’t do ballet!” But when the prima ballerina unexpectedly falls during a performance, Biff saves the days by donning a tutu and proving to the audience that even dogs can be ballerinas.

c. Critical analysis
Dogs Don’t Do Ballet is a beautifully written picture book for young children. The text offers interesting vocabulary words (ex: “looks longingly”, “calamity” “orchestra”) to promote discussion among readers. The setting is unknown, although the illustrations hint at a metropolitan city with parks and city buses. The lack of a specific city name makes the story more universal, as if the story could take place in New York, London, Tokyo or Paris.

The main character in this story, Biff, is a male dog who dreams of becoming a ballerina. Although, the story is fictional and the character is an animal, the idea of a boy being a tutu wearing ballerina may cause some readers to wonder about the author’s intentions of writing this story. More importantly, the underlying message seems to be that one shouldn’t let other people’s opinions or beliefs stand in the way of one’s dreams. This message should be shared and celebrated with children as a way to foster courage and confidence.

The illustrations in Dogs Don’t Do Ballet offer a whimsical feel to the story. Biff’s emotions are captured through the images on the pages and the reader is drawn in and can’t help but root for the ballet loving pooch. Oligvie does a good job of portraying a variety of characters so that the audience sees an array of ethnicities present, as in scenes such as the dance class and the ballet performance.

d. Reviews/Awards
• ALA Rainbow List selection
• I could not find any reviews from reputable sources such as Booklist, SLJ or Kirkus Review

e. Connections
• Students (and dogs) who love ballet can read one of these fabulous picture books starring ballerinas:
o Angelina Ballerina by Katharine Holabird
o Gwendolyn the Graceful Pig by David Ira Rottenberg
o Tallulah’s Tutu by Marilyn Singer
o Sugar Plum Ballerinas series by Whoopi Goldberg
o Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen and Kadir Nelson