I’ve noticed that all sorts of previously non-gift giving holidays have somehow, in recent years, become gift giving holidays; Easter baskets that used to be filled with candy now aren’t complete without toys and/or treats; all of a sudden St. Patrick’s Day has its own aisles in stores, ripe with all the green-colored candy you could crave; even Halloween has gone from strictly candy only to ‘maybe I’m supposed to buy the kids in my life something? Or send them a card? When did Halloween get complicated???” I am not in favor of any of these things really, and, when in doubt, tend to stray towards the traditional (aka – what showed up in my Easter Basket/Trick or Treat bag/etc).
But I am the kind of aunt who just shows up with random picture books on a Tuesday, as a surprise. Or sends them through Amazon, if she lives too far away to just pop in and read it with you herself.
And my most recent picture book acquisition just happens to fit into the Halloween gift-giving theme, if you’re so inclined, and the “Holy crap, these pictures are adorable, and the story is meaningful and cute, and everybody ought to read this right now” category, if you’re not.
I’m talking about Vampirina Ballerina, which is written by Anne Marie Pace and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. I originally picked it up because Pham is one of my very favorite current illustrators – her work on the Freckleface Strawberry books, and the Alvin Ho series are fun and full of joy, and her work on All the Things I Love About You (which she also wrote) is beyond dreamy and beautiful. She has a distinct style – children with cherubic but highly expressive faces, lots of characters & pages filled with color and humor and movement, an all-over sort of Mary Blair flair. Her work with Vampirina is no less amusing or inspired – there she is attempting to twirl without tripping over her cape; here she practices with the skeletons in her backyard, the mummy in her basement, the ghosts in her attack. At first the other girls in dance class (all clad in pink and lace) are standoffish and scared, while Vampirina (in black and bat-wings) is shy and overwhelmed, but Pham is able to show them all loosening up as, together, they dance their way into being ballerinas.
And Pace has done such a great job with the story here – keeping it specific to ballet (mentioning barre terms and dance movements), and yet somehow letting it remain open-ended enough to be about anything. “Even without wings, you can leap higher than you think”, she counsels. There’s so many bits and pieces here that apply to challenges that kids face, or things they want to tackle. The advice – staying in shape, eating healthy, drinking water, sleeping well, “And as Madame says, always move with your head held high” – will do them well not just ballet, but in the face of any difficulty or life hurdle they’re striving to overcome.
It’s very Addams family reminiscent, in the illustrations – complete with lurching butler and debonair goth Dad – but it’s also unique: For all Vampirina & her family may have Addams echoes, they are obviously their own loveable & lighthearted characters – the only glumness Vampirina shows is when she’s attempting steps she has yet to master; she has none of Wednesday’s aloofness or maudlin tendencies – she’s a joyous child/vampire, and she’s enjoying every minute of becoming the Vampire-ballerina she knows she was meant to be. Watching her become one – complete with grande jetes out of her coffin and accidentally turning into a bat once or twice during class – is worth the price of admission.
(There’s also apparently a sequel, Vampirina Ballerina Hosts a Sleepover, which merits a trip to our local library’s kids section as soon as can be managed.)