From My Reading Chair…
Always move with your head held high and dance towards your dreams… even if you’re a vampirling!
Vampirina Ballerina reads like an intensely personal, tender exchange between an adult and a young child. Anne Marie Pace shares Vampirina’s journey of growth: from her first discovery of ballet, through the awkwardness of those first attempts and the perseverance of learning, all the way to the climactic moment when she finally performs. (YAY! I was genuinely rooting for her!)
Rather than observing from a distance, the book’s unique motherly narrator remains close beside her throughout the journey, offering guidance, reassurance and encouragement. That narrative choice gives the story its depth and warmth: this is not simply about becoming a ballerina, but about being lovingly accompanied while you work (really, REALLY hard) towards something that matters to you.
The subtle humour beams through as Vampirina tries to navigate the practicalities of vampire life around her very human dream. (Attending night classes is a comedic stroke of genius!) Yet the joke never diminishes her effort or turns her family into a novelty. Instead, it grounds the gothic comedy in very human empathy and compassion.
LeUyen Pham’s illustrations create a distinct, almost dreamlike world around Pace’s words. Their expressiveness makes it impossible not to feel affection for Vampirina and her gloriously gothic family. (Can we please pause to appreciate the stinking cuteness of the Lurch-esque character?! ARGH!) This visual characterisation supplies both comedy and tenderness, allowing the family’s support to be felt as much as it is stated.
Very sweet, very encouraging and very beautiful: definitely one for budding ballerinas and vampire fans alike. This story did, however, send me spiralling into a philosophical loop pondering the eternal duality of femininity: to be a ballerina or a vampire…
I agree with Vampirina: why choose one when we can be both?! Now THAT is a vibe I can get behind!
Creep On Reading, Pumpkins!