Book Review: Ballerina Dreams

Thompson, Lauren. Ballerina Dreams. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2007.

Ballerina Dreams is about five little girls with cerebral palsy who have a dream of being able to dance. They have their first big recital for their friends and families and are extremely nervous for it. But with the help of their teachers they accomplish this dream and perform their very first ballet recital. At the end of their performance each girl receives a red rose and an “I’m so proud of you” from their teacher. These girls could never have been happier.

The author, Lauren Thompson had spent many months working with these five girls to really get an understanding of what their disability is. She had spent time in physical therapy centers to get as much first hand experience as she could on the struggles these girls face because of their cerebral palsy. Although Lauren doesn’t have cerebral palsy herself, she is still considered an insider to this disability because of the research she has done to become knowledgeable about cerebral palsy. She wrote this book as a true story of these five girls who dream of becoming ballerinas as an inspirational tool to others with the same or similar disabilities. She is also very informative of what cerebral palsy is within this book as she describes the difficulties these girls can face. She even included additional information at the end of the book in case readers want to know more about the disability.

Ballerina Dreams is a great representation of a diverse piece of literature. Thompson did a great job of showing how cerebral palsy doesn’t get in the way of these young girls dreams. She shows that with a lot of practice, help for their teachers, and positive attitudes these girls can become ballerinas. Thompson shows how a child can look at their disability in a positive way and shouldn’t let it stop them from doing the things they like to do. This book can be used as an inspirational tool to other children with cerebral palsy or other disabilities for the matter to show how they should never let their disability let them down or get in their way.