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Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
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Ballerino Nate Hardcover – March 16, 2006

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Author), R.W. Alley (Illustrator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 17 ratings
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Teased by his brother about wanting to become a ballerina, Nate begins to believe his jokes about having to wear a tutu and pink shoes when he discovers he is the only boy in the class, in a moving story about a young boy's big dreams and his strong determination to dance!
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    4 - 6 years
  2. Print length
    32 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Dimensions
    8.9 x 0.39 x 11.24 inches
  5. Publisher
    Dial
  6. Publication date
    March 16, 2006
  7. ISBN-10
    0803729545
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0803729544
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–Nate decides he wants to dance after attending a recital, but his older brother tells him that boys cant be ballerinas. Even though the childs parents tell him otherwise, Bens words worry the would-be performer. Nate loves his ballet class, but he wonders why he is the only boy. His troubles disappear when he attends a professional performance and meets one of the male dancers. He explains that he calls himself a dancer, but you could also call a male dancer a ballerino. Alleys ink-and-watercolor illustrations of the animal characters have a playful energy that moves the story forward. While the word ballerino may not exist, which the text unfortunately fails to clarify, children will admire Nates persistence to follow his interest despite the obstacles. Aspiring dancers of either gender will enjoy this look at the art of dancing from a male perspective.–Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-K. In the spirit of Charlotte Zolotow's William's Doll (1972) and Tomie dePaola's Oliver Button Is a Sissy (1979), this picture book offers a true-to-life view of childhood enthusiasms hamstrung by gender stereotypes. Anthropomorphic puppy Nate signs up for ballet lessons after watching a local recital, but needling from his older brother ("Boys can't be ballerinas. They never, ever, ever can"), not to mention being the only boy in class, weakens his resolve. Finally, his encouraging mother arranges a visit to a professional ballet that resuscitates Nate's excitement. Though the story's pace seems uneven, Bradley writes smoothly and insightfully about Nate's experiences, updating the familiar parable by allowing his crisis of confidence to be almost entirely internal rather than triggered by cliched naysayers (Mom and Dad are equally enlightened, and their discussions defuse brother's snide words). Alley's watercolor-and-pencil contributions, portraying an entirely canine universe, capture both the warm family dynamics and Nate's zooming, irrepressible energy. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dial (March 16, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0803729545
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0803729544
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 6 years
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.27 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.9 x 0.39 x 11.24 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

About the author

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Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

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Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is the author of several middle grade novels, including the widely acclaimed Fighting Words and Jefferson’s Sons and the New York Times bestsellers The War I Finally Won and The War That Saved My Life, which also earned a Newbery Honor and a Schneider Award. She and her husband have two grown children and live with their dog, several ponies, a highly opinionated mare, and a surplus of cats on a fifty-two acre farm in Bris­tol, Tennessee. Visit her at kimberlybrubakerbradley.com.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Erika Ferrell
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
Lovely little story
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Danka
5.0 out of 5 stars Dance Instructor
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2015
Verified Purchase
Excellent reading for young boy dancers who are torn between dance and sports.
One person found this helpful
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Taury
5.0 out of 5 stars Bravissimo Book to keep Ballet Boys "En Pointe" (Says "The Literary Rat" of T.A.A.)
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2014
Don't laugh, but "The Literary Rat" in his preschool days once wanted to be a ballet dancer, though I lacked the discipline and stick-to-it factor I've learned to develop for writing over time, but I'm all for boys who dare to defy "gender norms" with wild abandon.

This is one of those books that I would've loved to read when I first became enchanted by the ballet, and while it may not have kept me on the ballet path, I at least could've had this as literary empowerment armor whenever some chauvinist lad or lass says "That's only for GIRLS!"

Well, I wouldn't have used the word "Chauvinist" at age 4, of course.

But by age 9, to use a retro tween play on words: For sure! (That was the beginning of my "I Love Lucy" obsession), but that's a whole other story...

Nate, like any sensible nonconformist, has no qualms disagreeing with his "Know-it-All" big brother who by contrast is more "Tom Sawyer" than "Baryshnikov" [buh-rish-ni-kawf], but at times can't help but wonder "Is he right?"

Would I have to wear a tutu?
Do I have to wear pink even though I'm a boy?
Can boys even be "Ballerinas" at all?

Well, the latter's kind of true, but NOT how you think, and I'll let the book show that to not spoil the pathos!

The illustration style is appropriately traditional, hand-drawn watercolors has charm to spare, and accents the movement and grace that any serious dancer (ballet or otherwise) can relate to, and also gives readers with self-proclaimed "Two Left Feet" syndrome a glimpse into the art and practice of dance in general, and ballet in particular.

It's very hard to talk about this book without another famous ballet student in the fantastical fauna universe, but rest assured, this book while great for both genders gives those nontraditional boys something they can identify with.

While gender doesn't solely define our identity as it once did (In some parts of the world, anyway...), parental baggage aside, it does play a part, and this book honors that, without stereotyping, and at the same time doesn't shy away from the questions (be they spoken or unspoken) even the most progressive and open-minded families ask at times.

This is in many ways "Angelina Ballerina" for boys, only here we have anthropomorphic dogs (and/or wolves, it's not quite specific either way) instead of mice, but here it's the youngest in the family that takes center stage.

Sadly, unlike the mouselet star with big dreams, this seems to be a one and done, but what a wonderful and worthy one and done it is!

If you've got a ballet fan of the male persuasion, tell him I said "BRAVO!" and to give him this book.

He'll thank you for it, if not in words, in his actions when one day he too could be a Supremo Ballerino, just like Nate. Ballet Men UNITE!

-Originally reviewed on TalkingAnimalAddicts.com
One person found this helpful
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Leslie L. Cooper
5.0 out of 5 stars So glad I came across this book
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2008
This book gave me a few "mommy moments". Our son, Nick, is now a dance major in college. He started out wanting to learn tap dancing at about 4 years of age after watching a friend, so we found a tap and ballet class- never thinking that this would go beyond a session or two. He got through the "being the only boy", and "do I have to wear pink" (and later the "wearing tights") speed bumps successfully. Like Nate in the book, he loved the costumes, loved leaping and spinning, loved moving to the music. For boys in the U.S. who want to dance (especially if they want to do ballet) there are very few popular role models and a lot of grief from their peers. As one professional dancer noted in a recent magazine article, male dancers end up having to be tougher and more focused than many young men, due to the negative image of male dancers held by those around them. A young man in a local ballet production with Nick loaned him a copy of the video about four ABT danseurs  Born to Be Wild - The Leading Men of American Ballet Theatre  and Nick watched it so often that he memorized it! So, as a "danseur's mom" (danseur being the term Nick was told related to male dancers), I support any book that would encourage a young man to follow his dream of dancing. This one is really resonates with me: the pictures are detailed and funny, the dialogue echoed similar conversations around our house, and the ups and downs of Nate's emotions as the book progressed dealt with situations Nick also had to face. I want to buy several and donate them to local libraries for their collections.
After I got the book, I read it aloud to Nick's older brother, who teaches elementary school music and band. We both had a good laugh about the page mentioning Little League (both boys played baseball and soccer, as well as playing in the band) and smiled at the pictures. And, by the way, Nick's older brother's name is Ben, and he, too, would like it known that unlike Nate's older brother Ben in the book, he has always supported his younger brother in his desire to dance.
This book is a treasure! Thank you, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and R.W. Alley for sharing it with the rest of us!
12 people found this helpful
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Nathan
5.0 out of 5 stars Boy dancers rule!
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2012
This is a great book for the boy dancer in your family. It finally legitimizes a boys desire to dance without the stereotype society has placed on male dancers. Hooray!!!
One person found this helpful
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DJ Joe Sixpack
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about gender roles... and dancing!
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2007
This is a great story about the fluidity of gender roles... and about dancing! When little Nate sees a student ballet production for a school field trip, he decides that he wants to become a dancer. His older brother teases him and tells him that boys can't be ballerinas, and that he'll have to wear pink dance shoes and a dress. Even though the teasing makes Nate anxious that "only girls" can dance, he isn't deterred, and with support from both his parents, he follows through and takes classes anyway. If you have a kid who is interested in dancing, particularly a boy, this is a wonderful, with warm writing and a complex emotional palette. Nice artwork, too, with lots going on to talk about while absorbing the message. Recommended! (ReadThatAgain!)
6 people found this helpful
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Logan S.
5.0 out of 5 stars got my 4-yr old boy to take ballet
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2007
My boy had been wanting to take ballet. I was looking into signing him up when one of this stoopid pre-school teachers told him that it was just for girls. After that, as much as he continued to spin and dance at home, and continued to love to watch professionals do it, he continued to not want to take a class. This book got him to understand what I had been trying to explain to him: yes, there are many more girls that take ballet, but that boys can do it too if they want to.
9 people found this helpful
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