The Ballerina Princess (Caucasian Illustrations)

Following is the entire text of the story. The words in red represent the personalized information.

The Ballerina Princess

was created especially for

 Elizabeth Ann Smith

at the age of 6

With Love From,

Mom and Dad

 May 9, 2008

 Lizzy was so excited as she walked along with her friends, Emma, Shannon, and Grace. Springtime was always an especially beautiful time of year in South Elgin. Flowers were blooming, the sun was warm and bright, and everything just seemed new and fresh! They had been going to ballet class for many weeks, and now it was time to perform their annual ballet, "The Ballerina Princess." This year the leading role was going to be performed by a very famous ballerina!

 Miss Jones, their instructor, would soon assign parts to everyone. There were dancing parts for birds, flowers, insects, and butterflies. Lizzy and her friends, Emma, Shannon, and Grace, couldn't wait to see what parts they were going to play. They had worked very hard practicing their pirouettes, pliés, and turns for this special performance.

 Lizzy's class warmed up by carefully stretching their legs, backs, and necks so they would stand tall and straight. They watched themselves in the mirrors as they performed their warm up exercises at the barre, and went through five of their ballet positions.

 Lizzy practiced very hard every day. She watched all of the lead ballerina's movements with special interest. Lizzy secretly hoped that one day she would be performing as the lead ballerina.

 Emma watched what Lizzy was doing and wondered about it. Emma asked Lizzy, "Why do you practice the lead ballerina's part as well as your own?"

     "Because next year, I hope to be the Ballerina Princess," Lizzy answered. "If I practice all year, next spring I will be ready for the part."

 Miss Jones asked everyone to perform a short routine to help her decide which part to assign to them. Emma stepped into position. She twirled across the room as the others watched and waited their turn.

 Next it was Shannon's turn. She performed one pirouette after another without once losing her balance or getting dizzy. Then Lizzy went through a short routine she had learned in class. She especially impressed Miss Jones with her graceful arabesque and the way she kept her toes so perfectly pointed.

     Miss Jones was very proud of all her students. It was obvious that everyone had been practicing very hard at home. "We are going to have a wonderful spring performance because all of you dance so well," she told them.

 Then Miss Jones announced the roles for the dancers as she showed them the costumes they would be wearing. Everyone already knew the Ballerina Princess would be played this year by a former student who had become a famous ballerina. Lizzy and Emma would be butterflies. Shannon would be a blue bird and Grace would play the role of a caterpillar. All the dancers were happy about their parts as they left for the day.

 That night, all the little dancers called their families and friends to invite them to attend the performance. LizzyGrandma and Grandpa. invited

 Each afternoon, Lizzy, Emma, Shannon, and Grace joined the other dancers to rehearse their roles for the upcoming recital. Everyone worked hard to learn their parts and Lizzy continued to practice the part of the Ballerina Princess.

 The weeks went by very quickly. On the day before the performance, they gathered for dress rehearsal. The lead ballerina entered the studio looking very pale. Suddenly, the lead ballerina sneezed. She sneezed again and again.

     Miss Jones stepped over and asked, "What is the problem?"

     "I think I am coming down with the flu," said the lead ballerina. "I'm very sad because I don't want to let everyone down and there is no time for anyone to learn my part."

 A hush came over the class as Miss Jones exclaimed, "What in the world can we do?"

     Just then Grace shouted, "But Miss Jones, Lizzy knows all the moves of the Ballerina Princess. She has practiced them every night on her own." All eyes turned to Lizzy.

 "Is that correct, Lizzy?" asked Miss Jones.

     "Yes, it is," replied Lizzy, a little embarrassed by the attention but happy at the same time. "I have practiced every night in hopes that by next year I would be chosen for the part of the Ballerina Princess."

     "Well, Lizzy," said Miss Jones, "you now have the part of the Ballerina Princess!" For the rest of the day, the dress rehearsal continued with Lizzy as the lead. There was one less butterfly in the garden, but everyone was happy to spend the extra time to work on the changes.

 The big day finally arrived. Lizzy's performance was perfect. The entire crowd, full of family and friends, gave a standing ovation to the dancers. Lizzy, Emma, Shannon, Grace, and all the other girls in the dance curtsied as flowers were brought onto the stage.

     Lizzy was the heroine of the night and the star performer in the ballet. All of her hard work and practice had paid off! What an unforgettable day this was... the day Lizzy became the Ballerina Princess.

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• Quality, hard-cover personalized children's book
• Washable hard cover
• Fully illustrated color pages
• 36 pages
• Measures 6 3/4" x 8 1/4"