Degas and the Little Dancer

Marie is a young girl living in poverty in Paris who dreams of ballet. To help her family survive, she takes a job modeling for Edgar Degas. Though she doesn't become the lead dancer on stage, Degas's sculpture 'The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer' ensures she is remembered forever. SENSITIVE TOPICS: The book addresses socioeconomic struggle and poverty directly but within a historical context. Marie's family needs her wages to eat. The resolution is realistic and bittersweet: she doesn't become a wealthy star, but she achieves a different kind of lasting fame through art. EMOTIONAL ARC: The story begins with a sense of longing and struggle, moves into a phase of quiet persistence and budding friendship, and concludes with a hopeful, reflective realization about legacy. IDEAL READER: A creative 7-year-old who feels 'plain' or overlooked, or a child who has had to give up an expensive hobby due to family circumstances. PARENT TRIGGER: A child expressing frustration that they aren't the best in their class or feeling embarrassed by having less than their peers. PARENT PREP: No specific scenes require censoring, but parents should be ready to explain that in the 1880s, children often had to work to support their families. AGE EXPERIENCE: Younger children (5-6) will focus on the relationship between the girl and the artist and the beautiful tutus. Older children (8-9) will grasp the nuance of the 'unexpected legacy' and the reality of Marie's financial situation. DIFFERENTIATOR: This book stands out by blending a fictionalized narrative with real art history, using Degas's own style to illustrate the beauty found in ordinary, hardworking people.

This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.