She demonstrates resilience and flexibility as she faces challenges. Throughout her five adventures, Tallulah exhibits all the characteristics of a person with “a mindset for learning.” Although Tallulah suffers disappointments in each book, her optimism and persistence always pay off in the end. In a previous post, I’ve written about A Mindset for Learning (Heinemann, 2015) by Kristine Mraz and Christine Hertz. Eventually, Tallulah returns to her lessons and earns her tutu. She dances around the neighborhood and through the supermarket. When her teacher explains that “it takes time and a lot of practice to earn your tutu,” her disappointment causes her to have a tantrum and she gives up ballet. Tallulah doesn’t understand, though, why she doesn’t get a tutu when she begins her lessons. Tallulah’s enthusiasm is irrepressible and shines through in Alexandra Boiger’s watercolors. From the moment we meet Tallulah, in Tallulah’s Tutu (Clarion Books, 2011), we know that she is going to be “a great ballerina.” Tallulah, a budding ballerina who is the star of five picture books by Marilyn Singer, is not a klutz and she does love to practice. (The arms of our sofa made excellent alps when the Von Trapp family had to flee the Nazis in The Sound of Music.) I did love the leotards, especially the ones with satiny fronts that we wore for our recitals, but I didn’t love the disciplined practice. I had been dancing around the living room for years, and I think my mother thought it would be easier on the furniture. When I was eight, I began ballet lessons.
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