Reviewed by: Emma and Julia Love Ballet by Barbara McClintock Deborah Stevenson, Editor McClintock, Barbara Emma and Julia Love Ballet; written and illus. by Barbara McClintock. Scholastic, 2016 [32p] ISBN 978-0-439-89401-2 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R 4-6 yrs This tandem narrative parallels the day of young Emma, a little dancer who loves her class and hopes to be a ballerina, with that of the older Julia, who has achieved Emma’s dream of dancing professionally with the ballet. They both rise and eat breakfast and head off for class; they both have friends that enjoy other kinds of dance (Emma’s friend yearns to be on Broadway; Julia’s friend dances there). Come evening, Emma excitedly attends the ballet performance in which Julia dances, and a backstage visit bonds the two (“Emma and Julia love ballet”). The parallel is an appealing way to demonstrate the trajectory from young balletomane to actual dancer, and the modest details of grownup life (“Julia takes the bus by herself”) may be just as heady for the audience as Julia’s onstage success. McClintock’s trim line and watercolor illustrations balance tidy touches of detail (Julia’s flowered costume, Emma’s tongue sticking out in concentration as she does her homework) with spacious backgrounds and the fluid poses of the dancers. For Emma and the viewers, the experience of attending the ballet (the great auditorium with huge crystal chandeliers) is even more visually dramatic than dancing in it. There’s diversity in both kid groups and adult groups, with African-American Julia a nod to the author-illustrator’s love of the legendary Judith Jamison. This would be a lively complement to Isadora’s Bea at Ballet or other young dancer tales. [End Page 426] Copyright © 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois