My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey

As a child, Robert Battle wore braces to straighten his legs, and he didn’t start ballet until age thirteen, but neither challenge stopped him from becoming a professional dancer and an artistic director.

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Book Details

Weight 1.1 lbs
Dimensions 11.34 × 9.29 × 0.42 in
Interest Level

Grades K-3

Binding

Hardcover

Pages

48 Pages

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Language

English

ISBN

9781481422215

Released

10/27/2015

AR Quiz Number

177375 EN

Lexile Measure

970L

About The Author

Cline-Ransome, Lesa

Cline-Ransome, Lesa

Lesa Cline-Ransome is the acclaimed author of numerous award-winning picture books that celebrate in story, Satchel Paige, an ALA Notable Book and a Bank Street College “Best Children’s Book of the Year, Major Taylor: Champion Cyclist, Young Pele: Soccer’s First Star, Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass, Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson, My Story, My Dance, Just a Lucky So and So: The Story of Louis Armstrong, Germs: Fact and Fiction, Friends and Foes, Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams and The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel Payne and Not Playing by The Rules: 21 Female Athletes Who Changed Sports.  Her verse biography of Harriet Tubman, Before She Was Harriet received five starred reviews, was nominated for an NAACP image award, and received a Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustration. Her debut middle-grade novel, Finding Langston, was the 2019 winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and received the Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor. Leaving Lymon and Being Clem, both named Kirkus Best Books, completed the Finding Langston series. Lesa’s debut Young Adult novel, For Lamb, is based in Jim Crow Mississippi.

“In James E. Ransome’s realistic pastel portraits, Battle, his family, and his teachers all seem lit from within.” —The New York Times Book Review

A boy discovers his passion for dance and becomes a modern hero in this inspiring picture book biography of Robert Battle, artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

When Robert Battle was a boy wearing leg braces, he never dreamed he’d study at Juilliard. Though most dancers begin training at an early age, it wasn’t until Robert was a teenager that his appreciation for movement—first from martial arts, then for ballet—became his passion. But support from his family and teachers paired with his desire and determination made it possible for Robert to excel. After years of hard work, the young man who was so inspired by a performance of Alvin Ailey’s Revelations became the artistic director of the very company that motivated him. Today, under Robert’s leadership, Alvin Ailey continues to represent the African American spirit through dance.

Featuring illustrations brimming with vibrant color and swirling motion, this biographical picture book from husband-and-wife team James Ransome and Lisa Cline-Ransome includes a foreword from Robert Battle himself as well as a bibliography, suggested further reading, and an author’s note.

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