Ballet Production is more than just the ballet dancers on stage, which we learn in this book, there are so many important people who help make this show possible. They have people working as stagehands, the costume designers, lighting technicians, musicians, and stage managers. Lily learns all of this when she gets to go backstage to find her Grandpa. During her visit before she found her Grandpa, she passed many different rooms backstage. She passed the makeup room, the wig room, the rehearsal room, high above the stage where the lights are, and even her favorite ballerina, Gabrielle. Lily gets to see all the behind the scene extras that help make the show go smooth and perfect! Lily brought some dinner, pepperoni pizza for the her and Grandpa to share before the show. Lily was able to stay backstage and watch her Grandpa perform. After the show Lily was able to meet her Grandpa in the orchestra pit, she was so proud of her Grandpa. This is a very cute book, and it remind me of my relationship with my Grandpa when I was little. I think it’s so wonderful that Lily and her Grandpa have such a close bond with one another. ( )

Lili Backstage is about a girl visiting her grandfather at his job at the ballet. While on her quest to find her grandfather, she goes into different rooms and meets all the people who help run the show. She realizes how many people are involved in the ballet. It's not only the dancers involved, but the orchestra, stage manager, makeup artists, and so many other people. My favorite page was when Lili visits the makeup room. The illustrations depict the steps to apply heavy stage makeup. I thought this was perfect for a child to see how it is done. I've read a few books by Rachel Isadora and once again she didn't disappoint. This is a great book to teach children about the ballet. ( )

Plot story about Lili who wants to explore backstage at the ballet where her grandfather plays in the orchestra. She asserts her questions and finds the answers about all aspects of what goes into a theater performance.

Ages 5-7

Pierce County Library

This is such a true and accurate representation of what being backstage can be like. I did ballet my whole life and performed over 25 times at our wonderful Mahial Jackson Theater. This book captured perfectly all the glitter, shin, and hard work that goes into helping a show run smoothly. Such a fun series! ( )

Our story begins when we go exploring a ballet theatre with Lili. With her, we see the practice rooms, the lights on the catwalk, the costumes, performers, and even under the stage. We learn about all the things involved in a ballet performance and the routines some f the performers have. I like this story because most of the time we don’t think about everything that goes into a performance and this story shows it.

Details: This book was written to interest children in grades K-3 and is on a 4.8 reading level. ( )