BALLET FOR MARTHA Making Appalachian Spring- A book review for Children's Literature 5360

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. BALLET FOR MARTHA MAKING APPALACHIAN SPRING.  Ill. by Brian Floca. New York, NY:  Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 1466818613

PLOT SUMMARY

This is the story of how the choreographer and dancer Martha Graham collaborated with the composer Aaron Copland and the designer and artist Isamu Noguchi to create the ballet Appalachian Spring in the 1940s.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Greenberg and Jordan use figurative language and a descriptive vocabulary, “to the dancers, the stage is like an obstacle course,” to bring the dance alive to the young reader.  Their story brings life and renewed interest into a show that was first performed on October 30, 1945. By sharing the process, even the frustrating parts of collaboration, with the reader, children will learn that working together can be challenging, but that there are real life examples showing that it is worth the effort.  

Floca’s pictures are soft and beautiful.  They are watercolors and they blend in and out of the pages with a gentleness and flow that matches well with the writing style.

I also listened to the Brilliance Audio, unabridged version of the selection published in September 2012.  Sarah Jessica Parker did a wonderful job reading the story, but the Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz played throughout the reading and that made it absolutely enjoyable to hear.  The music actually brought the story alive for me.  My one year old enjoyed it so much that, on the second time through, she stole the phone and ran around listening to the complete score (that is played after the narration ends).  Beautiful!

AWARDS AND REVIEWS

• Sibert Honor Book
• NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
• ALA Notable Children’s Book
• IBBY Honor Book
• Top Ten Children’s Books 2010 (from several companies)

• Plus more…
• STARRED REVIEW, Horn Book Review:  “Using spare, concise sentences, the authors echo Graham’s approach to dance:  like the movements in her choreography, nothing is wasted, and in such exactness lies the beauty… Floca’s fluid, energetic line-and-watercolor illustrations echo the plain boldness… a remarkable book.”
• STARRED REVIEW, Booklist: “In this book… disparate elements come together.  Matching the mood of Graham’s moves, the writing is pared down but full of possibilities...what readers will surely want after putting this down is to see and hear Appalachian Spring for themselves.”

CONNECTIONS

• Students can choose one of the three collaborators to learn more about (start at Martha Graham Dance Company, the Aaron Copland House, or The Noguchi Museum websites).
• Music/Orchestra:  Students can follow the St. Louis Symphony Teacher’s Guide to School Performace so students can perform the music component of the ballet themselves.
• Read additional books for children about dance.  The School Library Journal has published a list, “A Dancer’s Dozen: Great BOoks for Wannabe Hoofers” that teachers can use as a resource.
• Students can write about an activity/sport that they participate in following the style of Greenberg and Jordan.
• Or, to get very creative, students can collaborate with another student about something they have a shared interest in and write a paper together to see how collaboration works.

Images taken from: https://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/macmillan_us_frontbookcovers_1000H/9781596433380.jpg