Reviews
Kindergarten-Grade 5-Who better to tell the story of Coppelia than a "prima ballerina assoluta?" Having danced the starring role many times, Fonteyn has developed a wonderful feel for the characters' personalities. The clever and passionate Swanilda contrasts well with the villain, Dr. Coppelius, the dollmaker who tries to bring his masterpiece to life. His conflicting nature is delightfully portrayed: he is lonely and deserving of sympathy, yet deceitful and wicked in trying to gain his ends; he is comical and a source of amusement to the village, but also the genius creator in love with his creation. Historical notes at the end of the book are brief but highly interesting. The lovely paintings are full of depth and texture enhanced with pieces of richly patterned fabric. There is a golden and sepia tone to them, suggestive of candlelight and late sun. This play of light and shadow effectively gives an illusion of life and movement. It seems the characters really dance about their daily lives, and when they are still, they find their feet naturally falling into classical positions. Pleasingly balanced, the layout consistently poses one white page of text bordered in color against a colorful picture. Purchase Coppelia for your more sophisticated fairy-tale audience or pair it with Leontyne Price's version of Aida (Gulliver, 1990), illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, for a gorgeous unit on music and theater. Torrie Hodgson, Burlington Public Library, WA, Having danced the part of Swanilda herself, the late dancer Fonteyn knew this 19th-century ballet from the inside out. With careful pacing, she recounts the tale of a mysterious dollmaker whose finest creation, a life-size doll named Coppelia, comes between a young woman and her betrothed. Upon Swanilda's first appearance, as she happily thinks of her fianc?, Franz ("she could barely keep herself from dancing instead of walking"), Fonteyn foreshadows the fateful dance, in which Swanilda, rejected by Franz in favor of Coppelia, cleverly exposes the illusion and wins back her sweetheart. In an astonishing visual pas de deux, Johnson and Fancher's mixed media artwork gives the pages a rich patina that recalls antique tapestry. Blocks of text are framed in a quilt-like background of fabric scraps that hints at the busy creativity of a dollmaker's studio. The artists carry this theme throughout the book by incorporating brocade and burlap into the illustrations themselves, adding texture and depth alongside bold brushstrokes and scrapework used in applying the oil paint. The European setting, with its half-timbered houses and cobbled streets, is dressed in rich autumnal hues, and an artful use of light and shadow brings a theatrical flair. Balletomanes will appreciate Fonteyn's afterword on the history of Coppelia, along with the artists' homage to a famous Degas painting with Swanilda, dressed as the doll, dancing about and wreaking havoc. Ages 6-up.
Synopsis
Prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn gives one last gift to the world of dance with this enchanting retelling of a classic ballet. With the vivacity and effortless grace that marked her performances, Dame Margot Fonteyn retells the story of Coppélia, a doll so lifelike and beautiful she captures the heart of a young villager--and the jealous attention of his fiancée. Completed shortly before her death in 1991, Dame Margot's Coppélia is masterfully staged by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, whose vibrant, richly textured paintings bring to life this tale of love and the power of imagination., Prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn gives one last gift to the world of dance with this enchanting retelling of a classic ballet. With the vivacity and effortless grace that marked her performances, Dame Margot Fonteyn retells the story of Copp lia, a doll so lifelike and beautiful she captures the heart of a young villager--and the jealous attention of his fianc e. Completed shortly before her death in 1991, Dame Margot's Copp lia is masterfully staged by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, whose vibrant, richly textured paintings bring to life this tale of love and the power of imagination.