Lovely Ballet Books for Kids Who Love Twirling and Dancing

1. Ballet Lesson – Peppa Pig

Peppa goes to her first ballet lesson. Of course, Madame Gazelle is the teacher, and she joins the class with her friends Candy Cat, Suzy Sheep, Danny Dog, Rebecca Rabbit, and Pedro Pony. They all try to do everything Madame Gazelle teaches them with “grace and beauty,” although it isn’t always the case… but they are excited and have a great time. The book follows the same structure as the episode.

2. Angelina Ballerina – Katherine Holabird

This book holds a special place in our hearts since it was the first book I bought. It is about a tiny mouse that dances everywhere and dreams of dancing and becoming a ballerina. However, her parents end surprising her with the tutu and shoes she will need when she starts her ballet lessons. It was great because we felt we were at the same place, and our daughter ended starting classes too.

3. Angelina’s Ballet Class – Katherine Holabird & illustrated by Catherine Kanner based on the illustrations by Helen Craig

If you liked Angelina Ballerina, you will enjoy this book; it follows the first in the series, and Angelina is going to ballet class with Miss Lilly. She gets ready with her friends; they stretch, they practice positions and other movements in an engaging way to the reader, prompting participation – “Can you leap as high as Angelina?” or “If you stand on tiptoe, you can do an arabesque too.”

This book also has Angelina’s little Cousin Henry trying to follow everything the older girls do. There are other books in the Angelina series that you might also enjoy, but we really like these two.

4. Fancy Nancy: Budding Ballerina

Nancy loves going to ballet class every week. Since Dad doesn’t know about ballet, she decides to teach him and the rest of the family everything she learns in ballet class. It is a lovely book where all the family is involved, and they all put a lot of effort and improvement – especially Dad.

5. I’m a Ballerina! – Sue Flies & Joey Chou

A little girl is getting ready for her first ballet recital. She invites us to her class; we see her prepare and get onstage to see her show. It is a sweet story written in rhyme from the Little Golden Books collection. Also, Brightly has this animation on Youtube that I highly recommend and that your little dancer will enjoy.

6. Miss Lina’s Ballerina’s – Grace Maccarone and Christine Davenier

Eight little girls studied at Miss Lina’s dance studio: Christina, Edwina, Sabrina, Justina, Katrina, Bettina, Marina, and Nina. They danced all day in four rows of two. But one day, a new girl, Regina, arrives, and all the rest think it is a mess. Soon, they’ll discover that dancing in three rows of three can be just as great with their new friend. A lovely rhyming book with beautiful illustrations that are the first of 3 books.

7. Dogs Don’t Do Ballet – Anna Kemp & Sara Ogilvie

Biff is not like other dogs. He doesn’t think he is a dog… he thinks he is a ballet dancer and dreams about his name in lights. He spies on his little owner’s ballet class and follows her to a ballet show… where he will surprise everyone and save the day. It is a funny story with lovely illustrations. You can check out more animal books in this post.

8. Brontorina – James Howe & Randy Cecil

It all began with a dream: Brontorina wanted to dance. She was a ballerina at heart – but was she too big to be an actual ballerina? A lovely story about accepting differences shows that more important than what you may look like, if you believe in yourself and others fight for your dreams, they may just come true. Of all the ballet picture books we’ve read, this might be one of the most unique.

9. Peep Inside the Fairy Tale: The Nutcracker – Anna Milbourne & Karl James Mountford

A beautiful short book by Usborne that will captivate your child’s attention. Filled with gorgeous and vibrant illustrations and laser-cut pages that allow you to peek through to the next scene. It tells the classical story of The Nutcracker with fun interactive flaps throughout the book. A lovely gift for your tiny dancer after performing in The Nutcracker for the first time. You’ll definitely want to add this title to your collection.

10. Ballet School Sticker Book – Margot Channing & Ela Smietanka

With 350 cute stickers, this is a lovely book to keep your ballet enthusiast entertained. They can discover and decorate eight different scenes with all the reusable stickers that are in the book. There are probably more stickers than they can fit on the page, but they can use them to decorate other things they love. I really like that it has diverse ballerinas and boy dancers, making it different from most sticker books that only feature ballerinas in pink tutus.

11. Welcome to Ballet School – Ashley Bouder & Julia Bereciartu

I can’t recommend this book enough. It is a brilliant guide and introduction to what children will encounter when entering the ballet world.
“Through it all, “Welcome” takes ballet seriously. Bouder explains ballet terminology with diagrams that resemble those in a training manual. (My younger self would have eaten it up.) She also moves beyond steps to the heart of dancing.” — The New York Times

12. Boys Dance! (American Ballet Theatre) – John Robert Allman & Luciano Lozano

Boys are center stage in this encouraging book for boys who love pliés, jetés and pirouettes. It is a very positive rhyming book that will show the basics, will introduce us to brilliant male dancers and show that ballet can help us beyond ballet itself. Because ballet is not “just for girls”, ballet is for everyone, and I believe this is a very much needed book for those boys who have their heart in this art. A very enjoyable book for boys and girls.

13. B is for Ballet: A Dance Alphabet ( American Ballet Theatre ) – John Robert Allman & Luciano Lozano

An excellent A to Z book that introduces you to the most essential words in ballet, from postures, elements, famous dancers, and shows. I discovered this 30-minute video from the ABT with Jennifer Garner that goes beyond the book with images and clips of what appears in the book’s pages. I highly recommend it for all those ballet enthusiasts (or clueless ballet parents like me).

14. Tallulah’s Tutu – Marilyn Singer & Alexandra Boiger

If you want your little girl to know that ballet is more than just wearing a tutu, this is the book for her. Tallulah just knew that she could be a great ballerina if she had a tutu. So she starts going to class and does a great job learning all the basics.

She is always expecting to get a tutu by the end, but it never comes. When she discovers it takes time and a lot of practice to earn her tutu. So she gets angry and decides to quit. But little by little, she realizes how much she misses ballet, how much she loves it, even without a tutu. Because although tutus are beautiful, ballet is much more than an outfit.

15. The Story Orchestra: Swan Lake

A beautiful book with lovely illustrations that will make children familiar with the music of one of the most famous ballets of all time Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky. This is the story about Prince Sigfried and how he falls in love with Odette, a princess cursed to be a swan by day but able to go back to her human form at night. Only by making a declaration of true love will it break the curse. But Rothbart, the sorcerer, has other plans… and there are many possible endings to this classic story, but this one ends on a happy, child-friendly note. Ideal to look at before going to the actual show, so the child knows what to expect.

16. The Story Orchestra: The Sleeping Beauty – Katy Flint & Jessica Courtney Tickle

Once again, we discover the music of another of the most famous ballets in history, Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky. Your child can get acquainted with the original story and the music with mesmerizing illustrations and short music clips to the key scenes. A lovely classic with some contemporary twists that I personally love. For example, race diversity in all the illustrations, that a kiss on the forehead awakens Aurora, that the Prince and her start getting to know each other and fall in love, and that they marry after a few years of dating.

17. The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker – Katy Flint & Jessica Courtney Tickle

The Story Orchestra series presents the story and music of the beloved ballet, The Nutcracker. Like the other books in the series, it is great to introduce children to the plot and recognize bits of the most famous suites. A Christmas story where we meet Clara and the Nutcracker, live the battle with the Mice King, and after his demise, the Nutcracker turns into the Prince he once was, and together they visit the Land of Sweets and meet the Sugar Plum Fairy. Clara wakes up under the Christmas tree and can’t believe the wonderful dream she’s had… or was it a dream?

18. Ella Bella Ballerina and Cinderella – James Mayhew

The Ella Bella Ballerina books are picture books about a little girl, Ella Bella, that goes to ballet class, and her teacher explains to them the plot of a famous ballet. Madame Rosa’s music box melody makes Ella Bella imagine herself within the story and get involved with the characters. In this book, Ella Bella finds herself helping Cinderella make her dreams come true.

19. Ella Bella Ballerina and The Sleeping Beauty – James Mayhew

Ella Bella loves going to Madame Rosa’s ballet class. Her favorite part was when they danced to the music from Madame Rosa’s marvelous musical box. One day they listen to the tune of The Sleeping Beauty. When she later opens the musical box on the empty stage, she’s transported to Sleeping Beauty’s palace on her sixteenth birthday and must help the Lilac Fairy break the curse. Other books in the series are Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

20. Swan Lake – New York City Ballet & Valeria Docampo

Based on the New York City Ballet production of Swan Lake, this is a gracefully illustrated book that will captivate the children. The classic tale of Prince Siegfried meets Odette, the Swan queen, cursed by an evil sorcerer to become a swan by day and become human at night.

The only way to break the curse is for someone who hasn’t loved before to swear his love for her. Sigfried is tricked into pledging his love to Odile, who is enchanted to look exactly like Odette. Because of that, the curse can not be broken. Odette must remain a swan forever, and Siegfried will live alone until the end of his days, loving the woman he can not have.

21. Miss Lina’s Ballerina’s and the Prince – Grace Maccarone and Christine Davenier

Miss Lina has a surprise for her class now that they have learned to dance as a group: a boy will join them for the end-of-the-year show. They are all excited to learn all these ballet steps with a dance partner, but when he arrives at class, he feels overwhelmed with so much pink, and after showing them how he can jump and dance, he runs off. So they search for him, and in the end, they return to Miss Lina’s, where they work as a team and help each other with their strengths. It is a lovely book that girls and boys will enjoy.

22. Angelina Ballerina Center Stage – Katherine Holberg & Helen Craig

Miss Lilly’s Ballet School has been rehearsing for weeks for their annual performance of Mouse Lake. Angelina has been chosen to play the lead role of Mouse Princess. It is her dream come true! But Miss Lilly sprains her ankle, and Angelina is asked to help choreograph the rest of the show.

She doesn’t want to give up the role, but she knows she can’t let down her teacher. So she decides to help and discovers that she enjoys directing as much as dancing! It’s a nice story about friendship, encouragement, working hard, doing their best, helping others, and putting the greater good before one’s own dreams.

23. Bunheads – Misty Copeland

An origin story from principal dancer and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland. A young Misty discovers her passion for dancing in her first dance class through the ballet Coppélia – a story about a toymaker who works on an evil plan to bring a doll to life. She is so fascinated by the story and its heroine that she decides to audition for the role of Swanilda… and the rest is history.

24. Dancing in the Wings – Debbie Allen & Kadir Nelson

Sassy is a tall, long-legged girl with big feet that always has something to say. She loves to dance ballet more than anything, but since she is taller than the rest, no boys could pick her up and not be in line with the other girls. So she watched from backstage, dancing in the wings, and kept practicing and trying, hoping that one day she would be in the spotlight. But when Mr. Debato from the Russian school comes to look for talented people for a summer program in Washington DC, it might be Sassy’s chance to stand out and find her place.

25. The Ballet Book – Darcy Bussell

If you are looking for an encyclopedia of all things ballet-related, this is it. Darcey Bussell, one of the world’s finest ballerinas, will explain various poses, exercises, and jumps, as well as advanced moves and pointework. All with gorgeous photography and instructions. You’ll read about the evolution of dance, choreographers, characters, famous dancers, what happens behind the scenes, and more. This is a beautiful gift for passionate ballet dancers.

26. Firebird – Misty Copeland & Christopher Myers

A book filled with words of encouragement and tips for a little girl who dreams of being a dancer. Misty lets her know that with dedication and hard work, she too can become a Firebird. The illustrations are vibrant and unique, and with its lyrical style, I think it is ideal for dancers who are 7 years old and up. Misty herself reads her book in the Netflix Jr program Bookmarks. Have a look and meet her!

27. Misty Copeland: Ballet Star: I can read Level 1 – Sarah Howden & Nick Craine

This is a story about Misty Copeland’s biography, the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the ABT’s 75-year history. It is a great book to start reading and learn about Misty’s story and see how she has opened the door and become an inspiration to many young black ballerinas and dancers.

She started dancing when she was 13 and had to learn a lot very fast. But, she was so good at it that even though people said she didn’t have the right body type, she kept at it and became prima ballerina made her dream come true.