Prizes Commended for Georgia Children's Book Award (Picture Storybook) 2017 and Orbis Pictus Award 2016 and Parents Choice Awards (Fall) (2008-Up) (Nonfiction) 2015.Beautiful, inspirational, and triumphant, Anna Pavlova's life is masterfully captured in this exquisite picture book.

So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous prima ballerina of all time, inspiring legions of dancers after her: the brave, the generous, the transcendently gifted Anna Pavlova. Anna finds a beauty inside herself that she cannot contain. One night, her mother takes her to the ballet, and everything is changed. A short bibliography is also included.Independent Bookshop Editions and Autographed Books The author’s note sheds light on Pavlova’s motivation and includes fascinating tidbits about dancers’ lives in Russia.

The author takes special care to emphasize Anna’s belief that hard work is the foundation of success, but also that ballet was for everyone, not just the elite. Thoughtful palette choices mirror tone and setting: the bright colors of India, the drab surroundings of her childhood apartment, and the rich but subdued curtains of the stage. Morstad’s art, a combination of ink, gouache, graphite, pencil, and crayon, evokes beautiful Russian cityscapes, while scenes set in a dance studio effectively make use of a white background to showcase a solitary dancing beauty. So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous. Snyder writes in the present tense in a delicate and poetic voice that mirrors Pavlova’s onstage persona. Simple line drawings evoke an earlier age, and Morstad deftly uses fine details to capture the time period. Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova - Laurel Snyder The world is big. The graceful illustrations illuminate the text and capture Pavlova’s essence beautifully. Written in spare, evocative text, the narrative follows Anna’s life as she studies at the Imperial Ballet School, becomes a beloved famous dancer, and travels the world to share her love of ballet. Instruct them to select a bird and create a two-page spread of a child and a bird in a dance. What inspired you to write Swan It’s a funny story. The daughter of a laundress, young Anna Pavlova had few opportunities to see ballet, but they were enough to fill her with wonder and an unwavering longing to dance. Twelve of Snyders books are Junior Library Guild books: Any Which Wall (2009), Swan (2015), The Forever Garden (2017), Charlie & Mouse (2017), Orphan Island (. Then have students use informational books or sites on the Internet to identify various birds. Laurel Snyder is the author of Swan, the Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova.

Swan by Laurel Snyder