Naughty Toes: Book & Craft

We're two months into dance lessons and E is doing great. She originally begged me to let her learn tap, but I'm more of a ballet sort of mama.  So we were both very happy when I found a class that teaches both. Right around that time I also discovered this darling little picture book.

Naughty Toes by Ann Bonwill

Chloe and her sister Belinda join Madame Mina's class with very different results. While Belinda is a natural dancer, Chloe has what Madame considers "naughty toes." She spins when she should float, she flashes when she should shine. Through it all she defends herself with a quiet confidence, until Mr. Tiempo recognizes her true talent and sends her a present: tap shoes!

I love Chloe's positive attitude and insistence on being herself. The book draws clear differences between Chloe and her sister without falling into sibling rivalry, which I appreciated. The illustrations use a lovely pastel color scheme, and the story flows with a beat Chloe would appreciate. A fun book for the little dancers in your life!

To go with the book, we made these ballerina paper doll chains. I found the ballerina template here at The Crafty Crow and resized it to fit a regular 8.5x11 sheet of paper. I cut out the dolls and we decorated them using crayons and colored pencils.

For the tutus I simply sewed a line down the middle of a crepe paper streamer and then pulled on the thread to bunch. Then I cut off pieces for the tutu, folded in half and glued in place. They did unruffle quite a bit once cut, in which case we just gathered and glued until it looked right. Once they dried those little dancers were ready to flit and float across the room... as were MY little dancers!

Disclaimer: Naughty Toes was provided to me courtesy of Tiger Tales Books free of charge in exchange for a review. This does not in any way influence my review.