Gisela Jernigan, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Beginning with her Osage Indian father and Scots-Irish mother, this inspiring, picture book biography tells how young Maria Tallchief developed her talent and love for music and dance, learning how "to be strong enough to dance for hours...," and "delicate enough to break the human heart." Told in the first person, from Maria's point of view, we follow her from her childhood in Oklahoma, guided by an amateur teacher, to her teen years in Los Angeles where she decided to devote her life to dance. Large, rather impressionistic illustrations evoke period and place as well as Maria's love for her art. An author's note is included. 1999, Viking, $15.95. Ages 5 up.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2000)
Maria Tallchief was born on an Osage Indian Reservation in Oklahoma in 1925 to an Osage Indian father and a Scots-Irish mother. Both of her parents encouraged her early interest in music and arranged for her to study both piano and ballet. By 1933 it have become so clear to her parents that Maria was gifted that they moved the entire family to Los Angeles so she could get a better education in music and dance. Told in a direct, first-person narrative, this autobiographical account of Tallchief's childhood and adolescence stresses her bicultural heritage, as well as the influences of her childhood dance teachers. Many of Gary Kelley's pastel paintings pay tribute to Degas. CCBC categories: Biography/Autobiography. 1999, Viking, 32 pages, $15.99. Ages 5-10.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1999)
I was born with music that flowed through my body as naturally as blood in my veins," explains Tallchief, who, with Wells, describes her early life in lyrical and compelling prose. This brief biography follows Tallchief from her earliest dancing memories at age three until she begins formal training at seventeen. The narrative is skillfully crafted, using Tallchief's words to give voice to the whole; the authors highlight not only the early years of an artist, but the difficulty of growing up Native American in a culture that made it illegal for Tallchief to practice the language, religion, or ceremonies of her ancestors. Soft pastel illustrations in a style that recalls Degas are a luminous, often astonishing addition to this moving and joyful introductory biography; balletomanes will hope that a continuation of Tallchief's history is in the works. 1999, Viking, $15.99. Starred Review. © 1999 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thomas S. Owens (The Five Owls, January/February 2000 (Vol. 14, No. 3))
One of America's living legends of dance has combined with one of this generation's most talented authors for children. The result redefines the possibilities of the picture book biography genre. At age 75, Maria Tallchief can look back on a glorious ballet career, culminating in her receiving the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996. Besides starring in classical ballets such as Firebird and Swan Lake, she has collaborated with choreographer George Balanchine (once her husband). Tallchief became the first American-born star of 1940s ballet, a field then dominated by Russian excellence. Surprisingly, she avoided the usual recap of her adult achievements. Instead, Tallchief has delivered a vivid childhood remembrance. From her birth in Oklahoma as Elizabeth Marie Tallchief in 1925, to her departure by train at age seventeen to join the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in New York, the author's youthful determination to dance envelops all readers. Tallchief's tale affirms her supportive, unique parents. She was born on the Osage Indian Reservation in Fairfax, Oklahoma. "My father had never known the life of his ancestors," she states. The discovery of oil on Osage land made her father and his people rich. Tallchief's mother was Scots-Irish. In 1933, father and mother agreed to move to Los Angeles so that "Betty Marie" and her sister might get a better education, especially in dance. Tallchief's writing avoids being bogged down by tons of ballet terms. She doesn't mince words in giving opinions about her foundation in dance. Mrs. Sabin, her first instructor, is summarized as "not a good teacher." As proof, Tallchief noted, "Mrs. Sabin had Marjorie and me dance on point, the tips of the toes, which is something no good teacher asks a very young child to do." Readers should not race to begin the narrative, because co-author, Rosemary Wells, provides a story worthy of its own picture book. Her one-page preface gives a fascinating background to how this collaboration unfolded. But if Tallchief is a literary pas de deux, it would be between the former dancer and illustrator Gary Kelley. Known as the illustrator of Robert San Souci's The Red Heels (Dial, 1996), Kelley fills Tallchief with glowing pastel depictions. His subtle additions of Native American fabrics and patterns help reaffirm Tallchief's heritage. Kelley passes all ballet scrutiny in his work, by the way. He shows young Maria in a perfect fifth position at a bus stop. The curtain comes down at the ultimate moment in Tallchief. Readers can only hope a second act awaits. 1999, Viking, $15.99. Ages 9 to 12.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2000)
Kelley uses pastels to capture the drama of the dance, both in its studio discipline and in its evanescent beauty, while the frankly honest, even immodest, Tallchief reflects on her gifts in the first-person narrative. Her single-minded passion, conveyed in a clear, occasionally poetic text, will hold appeal and meaning for an audience beyond that of hopeful ballerinas. Category: Nonfiction-Biographies. 1999, Viking, 32pp, $15.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.