3rd January Patricia Lee Gauch (1934) Alma Flor Ada (1938)

Patricia Lee Gauch, the American author is known in my library as the author of the ballet stories about Tanya. She was the children's editor at Philomel books though at the time Owl Moon was published and she therefore knows what makes a good picture book. Back to Tanya, she is a small girl who is eager to dance like her older sister and so begins the series in Dance, Tanya. The text and the illustrations by Satomi Ichikawa dance musically across the pages, even though Tanya is not yet a dancer and you fall in love with Tanya and her tenacity. Then you go looking for more and luckily there is more. There are at least six books: Dance, Tanya; Bravo, Tanya; Tanya and Emily in a Dance for Two; Presenting Tanya, the Ugly Duckling; Tanya and the Magic Wardrobe and Tanya and the Red Shoes.

Alma Flor Ada is also known in my library as the author of a fun series of books about Hidden Forest, but hers are to do with fairytales and stories that the children know well. There is Dear Peter Rabbit; Yours Truly, Goldilocks; With Love, Little Red Hen and Extra! Extra! Fairy-Tale News From Hidden Forest. The first three are written in letters and the fourth is in newspaper format. The characters the children know, but the books are full of side issues and there is plenty to discuss. All four stories are illustrated by Leslie Tryon whose website has much to offer teachers.

24th December Noel Streatfield (1895 - 1986)

Now I know why Noel Streatfield was named Noel. Her sisters had more traditional names. When I was a child and in love with Ballet Shoes and her other books I thought she was a male and Noel was a boy's name. I did wonder why he wrote about ballet. I didn't have access to anything like the web or books that would give me any biographical details about authors. I think that was one of the reasons I was so fascinated by authors and then illustrators and chose to research them more when studying children's literature at uni. While Noel Streatfield's stories may have had a focus such as ballet or tennis, they were always family stories and the reader got involved in the characters' lives. The clientele of my library are not ready to read Ballet Shoes, but as a topic ballet is extremely popular as a reading focus. Books such as Patricia Lee Gauch's series about Tanya, Amy Young's series about Belinda, Jan Ormerod's Ballet Sisters about Sylvie and Bonnie and Adele Geras' books about Tilly will certainly ready my readers to tackle Noel Streatfield's books later in primary school.