Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring. Jan Greenburg and Sandra Jordan. Illus. by Brian Floca. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2010. 48 pages. $17.99 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-1-59643-338-0. Grades 2-4.

“Sometimes art is made by one artist, working alone, but sometimes it is the result of artists working together—collaborating—to forge something new.” In Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring award winning author duo Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan do just that to tell the story of how three trailblazing artists blend their unique expertise to create an American masterpiece. Martha Graham, a cutting edge choreographer; Aaron Copland, a distinguished composer; and Isamu Noguchi, an artist, sculptor, and craftsman worked together for over a year, creating, editing, melding and molding ideas to create a ballet, Appalachian Spring, that debuted on October 30, 1944. The lyrical poetic text of the story shares the passion behind the project, the movements of the dance, and places the readers in one of the seats at that first performance. Brian Floca’s watercolor illustrations really bring the performance and its preparation to life before readers’ eyes. In addition to sharing the beauty and creativity of Appalachian Spring this book epitomizes and teaches the importance of working together. Full biographies, a bibliography and notes and sources round out this inspiring story, creating a teaching and learning tool as well. Recommended    

 My Thoughts…

Before reading this story I had only ever heard of Aaron Copland, and even then I couldn’t really remember anything significant about him. Now that I’ve read this story, however, I feel quite a bit smarter. In addition to the obvious knowledge gain from reading about Appalachian Spring in the story and about its three different creators in their biographies, I appreciate other aspects of the book.  I love the introduction to the book. It is just a brief paragraph about collaboration, but it is so beautifully written I was excited to get to the story and see how it happened. I was also intrigued by the format of the story; poetry. I thought that the lyrical style writing was a perfect choice to complement the subject of the book. I also liked how direct quotations from each of the key players were seamlessly incorporated in to the flow. I also enjoyed reading how the creators felt, how they were perceived by the public and each other, and how all of these things blended and resulted in the finished ballet and the story. The illustrations were not only beautiful, but they made me want to see the ballet performed. I feel like they were snap shots of what I would be seeing. I found it interesting that some of the illustrations were more defined by others, but ultimately determined that it matched with the constantly changing preparations and decision in the story. I loved how there were details that could have been boring and insignificant, like the instruments in the orchestra, displayed and described in a way that made them seem crucial. I really liked how involved this story was and how it told a story of a story being told.

Potential Reaction…

I think this story will be inspiring to readers. They get to see three different styles of art come together to make something great while also seeing the three individuals shine. This is a great message for younger youth who may be wondering what to do with their lives or those wanting to realize their dreams. The message of collaboration may also open readers’ eyes to the gifts that their friends have to offer and make them want to work together to create things. I think that the subject of the ballet may be lost on young readers because it seems like a dated concept, but I also think it would be interesting for them to see how American pride and patriotism was shown that long ago. I do think that girls will enjoy this book more than boys due to the subject of ballet, but I think it would be a great example for boys who are interested in art.

I think the poetic form of this book could be a winning point for some readers and a let down for others. I think that the story flows really well in free verse, and it makes it easy to read. I think other readers may get distracted by this style, however. I do think that this book would be a great one to use in a program or a classroom due to the heavy informative angle. I do not know if youth would pick it up and enjoy it on their own.

Reminds Me Of…

This is now the second book I have read by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, with the first being Action Jackson, and I think they work very well together. Like Action Jackson this book incorporates facts and real life with the teensiest bit of imaginative fiction. While Action Jackson is a biography and Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring is a nonfiction title, they both share the same high level of research and detail that will engage readers. Both books do a great job of telling story and offering fascinating back information and supplements. Also, like their other title this book reminds me of Frida ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life! and  Diego Bigger Than Life due to the subject and style. This book also reminded me Peter Sís’s The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain due to its nonfiction, informative style.