Ella Bella Ballerina and Swan Lake

"Rachel : I love these books. Apart from the fact that James Mayhew is a wonderful illustrator and can bring these stories to life visually, he retells the stories of the ballet in a way that inspires. “ James Mayhew puts music centre stage in his books” Meurig : In each story a music box plays a piece of music at the beginning and this is the trigger for the storytelling to begin. In this way music is referred to directly at the beginning and at the end of the stories – at the end there is a one page precis that tells the story of not just the ballet but also of the composer. This is another way of bringing music into people’s lives slightly indirectly. With Morpurgo it is through the emotive storytelling and with these books it is via the wonderful stories of the ballet – The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty. It also draws kids into music through the world of dance and ballet. I love the fact that James Mayhew puts music centre stage in his books. Music is very important to him, and his events for children that combine storytelling, live illustration and live music are wonderful."