Short Story and Children's Book Combo Pack (Weekend and Ballet)

Hello all. It's getting close to the end of the week so I just thought I'd review this week's short story and children's book all in one post. I might have to do the post like this through the month of May, because of work.  Let's start with the short story shall we.

Short Story of The Week

Story Title: Weekend

From: The Doll

Author: Daphne du Maurier

Summary 

A couple starts their weekend away thinking that they are perfect for each other. A misguided boat trip soon makes them see their relationship isn't a perfect as they thought. 

My Thoughts

Weekend was just an okay story for me. I didn't think it was bad, but something about it annoyed me a little. I don't know if it was the dialogue, the characters, or the ending. Maybe it was a little bit of all three. I just didn't effect me like some of the other stories in this book. Weekend does get points for at least being an entertaining read. I may have had to roll my eyes at certain sections, but I was not bored. Ha ha!

Children's Book of The Week

Book Title: Ballet

Author: Kate Castle

Age Level: 8 and up

Summary 

Kate Castle, former member of The Royal Ballet company, teaches you about the art of ballet dancing.

My Thoughts

My life is obviously all about dance. Especially right now when my students are so close to doing their end of the school year dance performance. I thought why not pick a book that is about dancing since that is what is on my mind. I personally think that this one of the best book about ballet. Not only for children but for adults as well. This book tells the reader all the elements of ballet dancing: history, training, what to wear, performance, ballet stories, etc. What I like about it is that it does it in such and accessible way. The book has short sections in bold that give an overview of what the page is about. This is great for younger kids that just want to gain the smaller concepts of this dance style. However, each page also has sections in smaller writing that go more in depth in case you want to know more about the subject which is great for older kids and adults. I like that Ballet doesn't just talk about the dance style but other elements such as famous dancers and technical work of performance (light, set design, costumes). It also gives great advice on how to watch a ballet by explaining the difference between contemporary ballet and classical ballet. I highly recommend this to everyone interested in learning to dance or even people that just enjoy watching dance.