Book picks similar to
Ballet in the Barn by Regina J. Woody


childrensbooks
dance-ballet
united-states
vintage

Ballet Shoes


Noel Streatfeild - 1936
    But when they vow to make a name for themselves, they have no idea it's going to be such hard work! They launch themselves into the world of show business, complete with working papers, the glare of the spotlight, and practice, practice, practice! Pauline is destined for the movies. Posy is a born dancer. But practical Petrova finds she'd rather pilot a plane than perform a pirouette. Each girl must find the courage to follow her dream.

Mystery of the Black Diamonds


Phyllis A. Whitney - 1954
    But when they persuade their parents to visit the ghost town of Blossom, one clue after another comes to light.Strange howlings waken them at night, strange eyes watch them as they walk the deserted streets. It becomes evident that more than one person is hunting for the treasure, and there are those who want to hinder Angie and Mark in their search.Angie meets Jinx Kobler, a girl her own age, living with her grandparents in the crumbling town. Jinx loves the old town and resents outsiders. She is oddly secretive about her mother and father, adding one more question to those which puzzle Angie.Who or what is Abednego? What are the black diamonds and where are they hidden? Why did the old prospecter make no use of the treasure himself? What queer animal haunts these empty streets at night and steals from the newcomers?

Two Are Better Than One


Carol Ryrie Brink - 1968
    A Christmas package with two miniature dolls reminds Chrystal of the year she and her best friend Cordelia were thirteen and writing a "romantical" novel...

The Master of the Fallen Chairs


Henry Porter - 2008
    Skirl has a house within a house and it teems with terrifying creatures.This is the domain of the ageless Alba Hockmuth, who glides with demonic ease between the dead and the living, the past and the present, and is hellbent on Kim's demise.But help arrives in the most unusual form of Iggy Ma-tuu Clava. In a race against time, he and Kim must discover the secrets of the curse which lies in a painting by the Master of the Fallen Chairs.This is to say nothing - well, as little as possible - about the Great Auk, the last and undoubtedly the most indignant of her species, who somehow manages to remain alive and flipping in the strange conditions of the House at Skirl.

The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh


A.A. Milne - 1961
    Along with his young friend, Christopher Robin, Pooh delighted readers from the very beginning. His often befuddled perceptions and adorable insights won the hearts of everyone around him, including his close group of friends. From the energetic Tigger to the dismal Eeyore, A. A. Milne created a charming bunch, both entertaining and inspirational. These simple creatures often reflected a small piece of all of us: humble, silly, wise, cautious, creative, and full of life. Remember when Piglet did a very grand thing, or Eeyore's almost-forgotten birthday?Gorgeous watercolor illustrations from Ernest H. Shepard appear in all their glory. With beautiful colors and simple lines, these images hold their own as classics. The tales, filled with superb story lines and lessons, will continue to capture the hearts of new generations.

Ready-Made Family


Frances Salomon Murphy - 1953
    But after the initial strangeness of a new life is over, life with the Kennedys gets better and better. The Kowalskis make their own young friends; Grandmother Kennedy gradually warms to the newcomers and when Hedy's aunt returns to try to claim her, new love and security keep Hedy where she is.

Maida's Little Shop


Inez Haynes Irwin - 1909
    Inez Haynes Irwin used the pseudonym Inez Haynes Gilmore. She was a feminist writer and was a member of the National Women's Party. Maida is a sweet little girl whose father is one of the richest men in America. She is pale, listless and lame. Her father buys her a small shop in Charlestown, Massachusetts in the hope that this will give her an interest and help restore her health. His only requirement is that she not tell anyone who she is or who her father is. Maida makes friends for the first time in her life who see her as an ordinary girl.

Hangin' Out with Cici


Francine Pascal - 1977
    Then, Victoria bumps her head, and wakes up in 1944--where she discovers firsthand what her mother was really like at her age.

Peppermints in the Parlor


Barbara Brooks Wallace - 1980
    But this time things are different. Her aunt's once bright and lively home is now dead with silence. Evil lurks in every corner and the dark, shadowed walls watch and whisper late at night. Emily is desperate to uncover the truth about what is happening at Sugar Hill Hall. But time is running out, and she must find a way to save the people and home she cares so much about.

The Snow Ghosts


Beryl Netherclift - 1967
    While there they discover a snow globe that moves them through time to when the house was in its hey-day. They meet and befriend Michael who lived there then and together they try and solve the mystery of the lost family fortune. Subsequently published in paperback as The Snow Ghosts.

The Amazing Mr Blunden


Antonia Barber
    They will tell you in the village that it is haunted, but you must not be afraid. When the time comes ... you will know what to do.'Mr Blunden's words echoed through Lucy's ears as she explored the house. It was such an old house that it seemed to Lucy as if all the past was gathered up inside it as if in a great box; as though it had a life of its own that continued to exist just beyond the reach of her eyes and ears. Did Mr Blunden, who went out of his way to offer their mother the job as caretaker, mean to help or hurt them? Could she and her brother Jamie really help those troubled ghosts from another age?

Dancers' Body Book


Allegra Kent - 1984
    How do they stay slender and willowy while maintaining the extraordinary energy it takes to perform night after night? Can a nondancer or an amateur attain a dancer's figure and a dancer's vitality? And keep it?Here, in The Dancers' Body Book, the legendary ballerina Allegra Kent discloses the health, weight-watching, and relaxation secrets of some of the world's greatest ballet dancers -- from Suzanne Farrell and Fernando Bujones to Darci Kistler and Madame Alexandra Danilova. Combining them with two well-balanced diets -- one to lose weight by and one to live by -- and an exercise regimen that can be tailored to the individual, she provides a fabulous fitness program for everyone who longs to be slimmer, healthier, and more energetic.Fourteen varied menus incorporate delicious recipes from the dancers themselves (such as Jacques D'Amboise's Wonderful Dinner Salad and Dierdre Carberry's Almond Meringue Kisses), along with calorie guides and advice on how to create additional menus using your own favorite dishes. Helpful discussions on sports and exercise systems -- ranging from jogging and swimming to the sophisticated "Pilates" workout -- are also included, and in a special chapter entitled "A Healthy Outlook," the dancers talk candidly on such issues as smoking, anorexia, vitamins, doctors, massage, junk foods, fad diets, and injuries.Dancers take meticulous care of all their equipment because training and performance depend on it. Of course, the most essential piece of equipment, the body, needs the most care of all, and that is what this book is about: how to take care of the world's greatest machine.Allegra Kent joined the New York City Ballet at the age of fifteen and was a principal dancer with the company for thirty years, during which time she created a number of starring roles in ballets by Balanchine and Robbins. The mother of two daughters and a son, she is also the author of Allegra Kent's Water Beauty Book.

The Mexican Pet


Jan Harold Brunvand - 1986
    . . . Many readers . . . will be gratified to know that Brunvand intends to continue this series of relaxed, unofficial excursions into popular legends. Admirers of curiosa and the psychology of crowds cannot afford to miss them." —Kirkus Reviews

The Girl Who Ran Away


Joan G. Robinson - 1969
    Charley's favorite part is when Lizzie is alone at night, homeless, and walking along looking longingly into the lighted windows of the cozy homes she's passing. A middle child trapped between a clever older brother and a sickly little brother, Charley dreams of being alone and outcast, set apart.When she's sent to stay with a favorite aunt, Charley's thrilled - until she reads a note not meant for her eyes, and realizes that aunt Louie hadn't wanted her to come. Betrayed, Charley gets off the train early and sneaks into town instead of going to Louie's house. Finding an old chicken house, Charley seizes on her chance to become Lizzie Scrotten. She decides to call herself Rowan, after the beautiful tree. And for a season, the protected middle-class child becomes a free-spirited child of poverty - albeit a somewhat romantic, Boxcar Childrenesque poverty.It was dawn when she woke properly. The sky was lightening and the air was full of the twitter of birds. She sprang up and scrambled through the hedge, which was hung with great glistening spiders' webs.Sleeping in her chicken house and drinking from a garden hose in a nearby yard, Charley keeps a watchful eye on her aunt's house and plays different roles with different people she encounters - a gypsy with a local child, a mute with a shopkeeper, a cripple with a minister - for a variety of reasons both practical and playful. Her most meaningful encounter, though, is with a young man who is also running away, and the conversation they have about it. When a crisis comes, though, Charley discovers that she can't be Lizzie any longer. A cheerful, interesting read that draws its power from the mundane-turned-fascinating details of Charley's hobo life, and her quick, deep store of tales to spin for the strangers in her aunt's village.

Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life


Maurice Sendak - 1967
    ‘Superb fantasy.' 'BL. Notable Children's Books of 1967 (ALA)1968 Fanfare Honor List (H)Best Books of 1967 (SLJ)Children's Books of 1967 (Library of Congress)