Ballerinas Don't Wear Glasses

Nikki Tate-Stratton writes novels for pre-teens; her latest books are
Jessa Be Nimble, Rebel Be Quick; Raven’s Revenge; and Tarragon Island.

In this thoroughly modern picture book set in Any Suburb, Ainslie Manson
strikes just the right chord as she explores the relationship between an
older brother and his younger sister. When Mom has to work late one day,
Ben is given the responsibility of getting Allison ready for her ballet
recital. He is completely unsentimental about his sister’s traumas as
she is picked on by his friends, teased at school for being too skinny
and wearing glasses, and gets stuck with a baggy, bottom-of-the-pile
swan costume.

With deft strokes, Manson creates an older brother who, without ever
losing his cool, cuts the baggy costume down to size, improvises a
ballerina hairstyle using a lace from his hockey skate, and manages to
talk his sister through her stage fright. The affection Ben feels for
Allison may be grudging and rarely articulated, but his actions reflect
the very deep love that can exist between siblings.

Dean Griffiths’s illustrations play up the farcical aspects of the
text, at times almost to the point of caricature. Allison’s face is
sometimes one only a brother could love! Generally, though, the
illustrations support and enhance the relationship described in the
text. As in all good picture books, the illustrations bring out nuances
in Ben’s friendships, add details of the surroundings in which the
children are growing up, and subtly reveal the gentler side of Ben’s
personality. Recommended.