Review by Booklist Review
All the tension and beauty of the ballet are magnified in this melodramatic mouse tale. Little Tendu (that's Stretch for us English speakers) scampers gracefully through all areas of a beautiful old-fashioned ballet theater as he flees a predatory cat, broom-wielding custodian, and gang of ruthless rats until he finds the perfect home: the lamb's-wool-lined toe of a pink-satin pointe shoe. In this new picture book from Carr (Greedy Apostrophe, 2007), the reader gets a mouse's-eye view of the theater's murky back passages, costume workshop, and the chandelier-lit theater itself, with its velvet seats and ornate plasterwork. Like a character in a classic ballet, our adventurous rodent hero experiences rapture, terror, and longing before finding a safe haven and a new friend in a dancer's quiet dressing room. Bell's digitally colored pencil illustrations are full of soft hues, rounded sketchy lines, and lots of chintzy ribbons and roses, which give the story a classic, nostalgic look. Hand this to aspiring ballerinas who can't get enough of the ballet world.--Willey, Paula Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A young mouse fleeing for her life from a cat escapes a city's sewer through a small hole and finds herself in a beautiful theater. Enchanted by the music and the ballet dancers on stage, she longs to stay there. Briefly, the rodent finds a refuge in the ballet shoe of one of the dancers. Although she encounters some dangerous moments, from the custodian's broom and a pack of rats, eventually the young ballerina, Celeste, befriends her and names her Tendu. Celeste allows the mouse to fulfill her dream of living-and dancing-in her new home. Tendu is charming, with her oversize ears and soft round form, while Celeste is lithe and kind. The soft pastel palette and details such as vases with roses and small decorative perfume bottles and boxes create a romantic, graceful, Old World feel. The illustrations from Tendu's perspective capture how scary just the feet of the custodian are, not to mention his broom. Curled up in a ballet slipper, Tendu looks vulnerable and irresistible. This resourceful and enthusiastic little mouse captures the beauty and wonder of the world of ballet.-Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A frightened mouse is chased into a theater by a cat, takes refuge in ballerina Cileste's pointe shoe, then cautiously strikes up a friendship by leaving crumbs and baubles for Cileste to find. The pear-shaped mouse and long-limbed dancer make endearingly incongruous dance partners. The mouse's-eye-view perspective heightens the drama of a few scary moments, but a warm pastel palette throughout will reassure readers. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A little mouse finds friendship at the ballet. In a comically formal first-person account, the mouse recounts how, while fleeing from rats, he found himself in a grand old theater and discovered the beautiful sounds and movements of ballet. His efforts to make himself at home go awry when theatergoers and on-stage performers chase him away, but he finds refuge in a "small satin crevice" in a room filled with toe shoes, flowers, costumes and a ballerina. The two exchange gifts; the little mouse learns that his dancer prefers bits of rickrack, and she leaves him a mouse-shaped cookie. Friendship follows as the mouse gains a ribbon for his neck, a dancing partner, a name (Tendu) and a new home. Carr's tale is sweetly told with just a hint of danger, though little dancers may be disappointed at the absence of any actual rehearsal or performance scenes. Bell's pencil and digitally rendered illustrations in teals and rosy pinks provide a pretty setting for a pretty little tale. A honey-coated story of interspecies friendship. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
