When I pulled T is for Tutu: A Ballet Alphabet from behind my back, the gasps from my 6 and 3 year old daughters was almost deafening. I knew it would be a big hit when I saw the beautiful paintings illustrating each page, and read the poetic words introducing the ABCs of ballet. Each letter is also accompanied by more information regarding the word it is representing. For example, in addition to the poem on the page "G is for Giselle ", there are two paragraphs about the actual ballet Giselle, noted as "one of the finest ballets from the Romantic Era." Sometimes the additional information is historical, like with the letter B. We first learn that "B is for Ballet," and then later learn that Louis XIV of France was responsible for "giving ballet a professional look." Other times it is inspirational. We see this with the letter A, because "A is for Anybody," and "dance is something to enjoy whether you are young or old, girl or boy."

This is a fun rhyming book with 32 pages of colorful and realistic illustrations. It is written for 6 - 10 year olds but is sure to capture the attention of kids much younger as well. The additional information makes this book easy to incorporate into your homeschooling schedule, as a lesson in ballet.

Product Review by Leslie Talley, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January 2012