'Emma and Julia Love Ballet' Tells Every Kid Their Dream Is Possible

If you have a child who is enchanted with ballet (or any form of dance for that matter), Emma and Julia Love Ballet is a charming, must-have picture book that offers little ones several unexpected, inspiring lessons. From the messages of hard work and perseverance to the wide range of people featured in the illustrations, this ballet book raises the barre.

The story, written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock, is of two ballerinas: Emma, a little girl who aspires to be a ballerina, and Julia, an adult professional. Emma and Julia’s lives mirror each other in both the text and art: Everything little Emma does, Julia does, too — from waking up early to eating breakfast to getting dressed to warming up in the studio. Their lives diverge as Julia prepares for a special performance on stage, but guess who’s in the audience gazing in amazement!

Learn more about the important lessons that make Emma and Julia Love Ballet a stand-out work:

1. Ballerinas are not one-size-fits-all.

The adult protagonist, Julia, is a young Black ballerina. Emma’s ballet teacher is Asian-American, and her classmates include people of a variety of races. Emma and Julia also both dance alongside male ballerinos of different ethnicities.

“If there's a young boy who's excited about ballet, he's gonna find himself in the pages of the book,” says Deimosa Webber-Bey, Scholastic librarian.

The book imparts that everyone can dance ballet, no matter who you are. Kids — especially those who aren’t typically represented in ballet books — will be able to see themselves in the pages of Emma and Julia Love Ballet.

Inclusion wasn’t haphazard in the visual telling of the tale, according to Emma and Julia Love Ballet editor Dianne Hess. She said of the author McClintock, “She's very very careful about making sure people are represented — and not just represented, but represented in ways that are good all around and sensitively-done.”

The representation of Black ballerinos and ballerinas, in Webber-Bey’s words, opens up the worlds of ballet and the arts to young Black readers: There's “the magic of seeing yourself in a book, but then [also] a profession that you don't frequently see associated with Black women."

2. A positive role model can be pivotal in a child’s life.

“Someday,” Emma says to Julia, “I will dance on stage — just like you!” Seeing Julia perform reinforces Emma’s love of ballet, and when the two embrace on the last page, Emma’s admiration is undeniable.

“She’s a role model,” Hess says of Julia. The impact of positive role models is invaluable: They can encourage your child to dream big, develop positive values, love herself, and so much more. For the little ballerina in your life, Julia can serve as a hard-working, positive role model. Here are five real-life examples budding ballet dancers can look up to:

• Misty Copeland, the first Black-American promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre. (For more on Misty Copeland, check out American Girl: A Girl Named Misty, an illustrated guide to the prolific ballerina's life.)
• Scout Forsythe, a professional ballerina who’s passionate about helping the environment.
• Michaela DePrince, a ballerina who escaped war in Sierra Leone to dance alongside Beyonce.
• Lia Cirio, a Filipino-American ballerina who is working to make ballet more diverse.
• Kyle Abraham, a New York City Ballet choreographer who fuses ballet with other styles of dance, like hip-hop and contemporary.
• Judith Jamison, the renowned ballet dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater who inspired McClintock to write Emma and Julia Love Ballet.

3. Greatness and big dreams require passion and hard work.

Julia acknowledges that once upon a time, she was just like Emma, a little girl dreaming of the day she’d perform on stage. Julia’s hard work helped her achieve her dream, and her starring performance shows readers that work and perseverance are key parts of making your dreams come true. McClintock made sure to highlight Julia’s practice as a necessary part of her dream, sending the message that every little stretch and plie counts.

Emma and Julia Love Ballet shows that no matter how old you are, the essentials of hard work and dedication remain the same. “They're both really doing the same thing,” says Hess. “You see how if somebody practices and takes their ballet lessons, or whatever they may be doing, and they take practice seriously, that that's the road to becoming professional at something.”