brontorina apatosaurus the ballerina

As a modern mom it seems I’m always trying to find the middle ground. I’m a feminist, a modern woman, and I want my girl to be strong, independent, and true to herself. But I want to share all those classically wonderful little girl things too: fairies, unicorns, ballerinas, and kind, generous, swashbuckling princes. I just can’t shake it.

Then I find a book like Brontorina, by James Howe ($15.99) where we can have it ALL! Birdie already had a fondness for dinosaurs (They’re always stomping through our house, wanting to play hide and seek?). But meeting Brontorina – who is determined to be a ballerina – gives such freshness to the whole Ballet gambit. Like all good books, there are problems to overcome: being too big of course, being a little clumsy, and the whiny girls who keep bitching in the corner of every page (what a “teachable moment” that’s become for us!). The story’s solution to Brontorina’s problems involves everyone’s help, and some wonderfully out-of-the-box thinking too.

Now, I’ll admit, my absolute favorite part of reading Brontorina is reading Madame Lucille’s words (the dance teacher) as the voice of Natasha Fatale, or at least as I remember her. Mom’s gotta have a little fun too.