Review - Rudolf Nureyev

Rudolf Nureyev (Little People, BIG DREAMS)
by Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara
illustrated by Eleanora Arosio
Date: 2019
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

New in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Rudolf Nureyev, the ballet dancer and choreographer, in this true story of his life. Rudolf fell in love with dance at an early age. He had fire in his bones and an incredible talent. But his family were poor, and Rudolf was only accepted into ballet school at a very late age. There, he had to make up for lost time and hone his skill to compete with the other dances. This work ethic transformed him into a dazzling professional dancer, thrilling audiences with sensational performances and star power. He even went on to choreograph his own ballets. Rudolf is respected around the world as a master of perfection in dance.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This entry in the series focuses on Rudolf Nureyev, the dancer. While I did enjoy it somewhat, I felt it was affected by some of the odd writing and illustration choices that plague some of the other books in the series.

The insistence on referring to "Russia" throughout will make it nearly impossible for many kids to understand the time period in which Nureyev lived. For much of his life, he didn't live in "Russia"; he lived in the USSR. Kids may want to know this little fact, because it helps explain why government handlers were following him in Paris, and why defecting was such a big deal. There's also a veiled reference to his sexuality, but absolutely no mention of the fact that he died of AIDS. It seems the tragedy of that time was deemed inappropriate for a children's book. (I'm curious as to how figures like Anne Frank and Marie Curie are handled. Do the books lead the reader to believe they died peacefully in their sleep as octogenarians?)

These particular illustrations seem an odd choice for a book about a bunch of ballet dancers. While they do have a sort of swoopy grace to them, the characters all look stocky and nobody has a neck. It's a rather odd choice, and not one I'm sure I agree with.

While this isn't a very in-depth biography, it could be a good starting point for readers who are interested in the subject in question. But that's all it really is: a starting point. Like many of the books in this series, it simply doesn't go deep enough. The timeline at the back of this one is rather sparse, which will necessitate more research on the part of the reader if they want a good understanding of the figure in question.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5