Many years ago, Marie hoped to be a famous ballerina, but because her family had too little money for lessons she began modeling at the ballet school. The painter for whom she modeled was the artist, Edgar Degas. As Degas' figure of The Little Dancer took shape, Marie began to feel sympathy for the bad-tempered artist. When the sculpture was finished, thousands of art lovers came to see the statue, making Marie the most famous dancer of all. Here is an exquisite introduction to the life of a great nineteenth-century French artist, with beautiful impressionistic illustrations and reproductions of Degas' own work. (Ages 4-7)


From the reviews: "Reading this book always gives me chills! It is the story of Marie, the young ballet dancer who posed for Degas’ famous sculpture. With simple, lyrical text, the story is brought to life by a guard in the Louvre where the statue is displayed. Marie had wanted to be the most famous dancer in the world; and that she is, but not in quite the way she had planned. A touching and beautiful tale!" —Judi Baxter, Edplay , August 2001