The Afterword contains a poignant message from Copeland about her childhood struggles and how ballet “saved” her. Visit Reading Rockets for a selected list of his books and a video interview. Myers, the son of the late children’s author Walter Dean Myers, has received multiple awards for his illustrations.

Likewise, his illustrations also depict the tender and affirming relationship between Copeland and her protégé. Using bold and striking mixed media illustrations, award-winning illustrator Christopher Myers enhances the soaring and inspirational text by dramatically capturing the movement of the dance and Copeland’s amazing ability to stretch her body in extraordinary positions. Lovely ballet similes and metaphors are woven into a narrative as powerful, yet as graceful as the dancer’s art:Īnd while the narrative is a conversation is between a beginning dancer and an experienced ballerina, Copeland’s message of determination and realizing your dream is an important and inspiring message for all of us. The space between you and me is longer than foreverĪnd I will show them that forever is not so far away” Realizing that the girl lacks confidence and is overwhelmed by what lays ahead, Copeland offers encouragement and support in a lyrical conversation between mentor and protégé:Ĭopeland assures the young girl that, despite the challenges and hard work (“…I had a thousand leaps and falls …”), her ability will grow. Daunted by the process, the young girl compares her ” gray as rain” self to the “swift as sunlight” Copeland, believing that she could never be as good as her idol.

Copeland, author of Life in Motion, has written a spare but powerful picture book about a young African American girl who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. In Firebird American Ballet Theater ballerina, Misty Copeland, shows a young girl how to dance like the firebird. Firebird won the 2015 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, received the 2015 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award New Writer Honor, and was an NPR Best Book of 2014.

Firebird ballet book