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Piccadilly Press has acquired Ballet Besties, a new inclusive and accessible young middle-grade series co-written by Royal Ballet principal ballerina Yasmine Naghdi and children’s author Chitra Soundar.
Ella Whiddett, editor, acquired world rights to four books in the series from Alice Sutherland-Hawes at ASH Literary. It will be illustrated in black and white by Paula Franco.
Yara’s Chance to Dance, the first book, follows Yara who joins Shimmer & Shine, a community dance school, where she soon has a group of ballet besties she loves to dance with. But then Dame Clougston-Wilmott, their grumpy, dance-hating landlady threatens to close the studio, and suddenly it’s up to Yara and her new friends to keep Shimmer & Shine open.
Naghdi said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Chitra on this series. I hope all young readers will find inspiration in the stories and will be encouraged to take up ballet or dance lessons.”
Soundar, whose books include The Extraordinary Life of Mahatma Gandhi (Puffin) and Sindhu and Jeet’s Detective Agency (Bloomsbury Education), added: “It’s incredible to delve into the world of ballet that Yasmine generously opens up to tell stories that welcome everyone to join in.”
Whiddett said: “As a dance novice, I have loved learning more about ballet through this series, which so joyfully opens up the world of ballet for all children, by breaking down the traditional idea of what a ballet dancer looks like, showing characters of all ages, genders, ethnicities and body shapes enjoying dance. Yasmine and Chitra have perfectly balanced technical detail with heart and a lightness of touch.”