Book review | Growing Through Arts’ Ballet Series

In the foreword to her Growing Through Arts series of picture and activity books, Aleksandra Efimova asks, “What do ballet, art and music have to do with leadership, academic achievement and career success? A lot, it turns out.”

The St. Petersburg, Russia native and entrepreneur opened Mag Mile dance-wear boutique Russian Pointe in 2006, and leapt into publishing earlier this year. Efimova credits her success to early exposure to ballet, opera and fine art. “Involvement in the creative arts develops key strengths in children—discipline, teamwork, confidence, aesthetic judgment and pride in achievement, just to name a few,” she continues in the Storybook’s introduction.

We checked out The Nutcracker Ballet from her dance books series. There are two others, Cinderella and The Sleeping Beauty, along with three music-themed offerings: Peter and the Wolf, The Snow Maiden Opera and Twist, An American Musical. The 36-page, hardcover Storybook ($20) reads like a standard-issue adaptation of the plot for children, with a few notable exceptions.

At the bottom of nearly every page is a “themes and values” prompt, related to a plot point, for a caregiver or parent to ask. Below her description of the nutcracker’s abduction by evil mice, Efimova writes, “What should you do when you see someone being picked on by others?” These footnotes aren’t always discussion topics: some are simply little lessons, such as “Stories don’t always give us an answer” and “Dance can inspire our imagination!” Boldfaced words throughout the text (set, slipper, tutu) are explained in a simple glossary at the back of the book.

The 32-page, softcover Practice and Play Books ($8) offer mazes, puzzles, penmanship mini-lessons and more. (The series is pegged for kids ages 3–8; it’s a safer bet to aim for the low end of that range.) There’s a five-piece nutcracker to cut out and assemble, and a Stage Scene Play Set ($25) with a fold-out, 11" x 34" board, sticky characters and costumes.

Little ballet students will find much to love in these books, and if your clan plans to attend a local production of The Nutcracker this year, they’ll get more out of the experience with this crash course under their belts. The pink-accented books are aimed squarely at girls, but boys who aren’t put off by that can enjoy them as well. The strike against this series is its uninspiring art; those in need of more visual stimulation would do better to reach for a 1984 translation of the original tale illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are).

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The Growing Through Arts series is available now at Russian Pointe Dance Boutique (333 N Michigan Ave, 312-332-7200, russianpointe.com). $8–$25.