A Dance Like Starlight book cover
Pre K - 3

A Dance Like Starlight

By Kristy Dempsey

Illustrator: Floyd Cooper

A story of little ballerinas with big dreams.

Little ballerinas have big dreams. Dreams of pirouettes and grande jetes, dreams of attending the best ballet schools and of dancing starring roles on stage. But in Harlem in the 1950s, dreams don’t always come true—they take a lot of work and a lot of hope. And sometimes hope is hard to come by.
 
But the first African-American prima ballerina, Janet Collins, did make her dreams come true. And those dreams inspired ballerinas everywhere, showing them that the color of their skin couldn’t stop them from becoming a star.
 
In a lyrical tale as beautiful as a dance en pointe, Kristy Dempsey and Floyd Cooper tell the story of one little ballerina who was inspired by Janet Collins to make her own dreams come true.

State Awards

Recommended reading lists from your state's teacher or librarian associations!
  • Connecticut
    • Nutmeg Elementary Book Award, 2018
  • Illinois
    • Illinois Monarch Award, 2016
  • Wisconsin
    • Picture This, 2015

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