"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
The illustrations and the overall story were really nice. I liked that it included a glossary of terms in the back of the book, because a lot of these terms would be challenging to the audience of children that a counting book is targeted for.

While I love the premise for this ballet-inspired title, I just can't get past a couple of issues that marred my enjoyment of what is an otherwise unique counting book.

We start with ten dancers, who are performing various ballet moves. After each page, another dancer leaves, and the numbers count down until we're left with a surprise at the very end. All of that is good and fine, and the illustrations complement the text well.

I have two problems with this book, though. The first is the way it's written. Each page starts with a number and describes what the dancers are doing. For example:

"Five ballet dancers waltz to the beat.
1, 2, 3...2, 2, 3... across the floor.

One glissades away and now there are

Four ballet dancers soar during leaps."

My brain just isn't meshing with the grammar here, as far as the verb forms. Gerunds should have been used in those numbered lines to make the text flow better (e.g., Five ballet dancers waltzing to the beat, Four ballet dancers soaring during leaps, etc.).

The second issue I have is with the glossary at the back. The problem? It's not really a glossary! It's a French-English dictionary. For example, we're told that "pas de chat" and "battement" mean "step of the cat" and "beating", respectively. Unfortunately, we're not given any more information about those particular dance moves. The illustrations, being static, can't really convey the movement, either. (And the "glossary" isn't even in alphabetical order, which seems odd. I guess the terms are in the order they appear in the book, but since the words don't really explain much, it makes the glossary even more confusing.)

Overall, this book might appeal to young dancers. But the choice of verb form is clunky and distracts from the flow of the narrative, and the glossary could be a little clearer.

This is a wonderful picture book for young boys and girls, which has beautiful illustrations of ballet dancers and their teacher. The book helps children to learn the numbers 1-10 and it teaches them how to count. I read this book with my daughter who loves ballet and I used to do ballet when I was young, so we really loved this book. I especially loved how the book taught the french words and meanings of each ballet movement. This is a book that I will read again with my daughter and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exhange for an honest review.

10 ballet dancers is a ballet themed version of 10 little monkeys. The story was cute, and the illustrations were beautiful. I loved the twist at the end! It was unexpected and made the story exciting. This is a book that will be adored by all little ballerinas.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for granting me access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

10 Ballet Dancers is a beautifully illustrated ballet class version of "10 little monkeys." The watercolour illustrations are stunning, and as a former ballet dancer, I appreciate the variety of ballet terms used in this book. It works both as a basic children's counting book that makes the task fun, and also as an introduction to ballet terminology.

I wish it rhymed, though. "10 little monkeys" variants normally do, and the theme, in this case, is ballet, which is all about musicality, rhyme, and grace. The fact that none of the lines rhyme felt quite jarring.

Overall I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it, particularly to dance and music families.

I grew up doing ballet so I really enjoyed the premise of this book. The grammar though is not great in the transitions from one number to another. When a new number is presented, the verb should end in 'ing' to read correctly and it does not. Those who do not speak french or do not know ballet terms will struggle pronouncing different words in this book. There is a glossary in the back with a pronunciation guide and definitions of the terms.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I really liked the art-style chosen for this picturebook! It's cute, and helps with learning ballet terms. I think it's very hard to create a picturebook that wants to both have somewhat of a story, teach numbers/counting and ballet terms, while also making it seem somewhat natural. I don't think this one managed that either, and the final spread seemed very random and forced. I almost believe it would be better for them all to do a real performance at the end instead.

A beautifully illustrated book of ballet and numbers. My daughter will live this book that takes you through a ballet class counting from 10 to none, while learning many different ballet terms. There is even a glossary at the end. This is perfect for any younger child who has a passion for ballet.

What a cure book. Love the drawings. It would be fabulous for a budding ballerina. It really helped that there was a glossary of the terms at the end for us non ballerina types.

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Illustrations were colorful and beautiful, they reminded me of watercolors. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the dancing, maybe 2-3 images extra as each dancer left the group would have allowed the readers to see a more complete vision of what each ballet step meant.

Some of the rhyming didn't quite work, and felt a little forced, but it wasn't unbearable. The glossary with translations of the moves at the back was a nice touch for anyone who doesn't know what the dance steps are.

Overall, a great counting book, especially for little dancers.

10 Ballet Dancers by Amanda Malik-Ahmadi counts down to ten using ballet terms. I loved this children’s book for so many reasons. First, there’s the gentle rhyme scheme that will keep children interested and is easy for young readers to read. Second, the glossary in the back that has all the dance terms that they have used, books where kids can learn something new is always something I look for when looking for books for students! Then, finally, and what I like best, is the diversity of characters in the story. The illustrations depict people of all colors and genders, showing ballet as a sport for all, which some people do not see. I would absolutely buy this.

10 Ballet Dancers, by Amanda Malek-Ahmadi and Kathrine Gutkovskiy, is a lovely counting book for young ones who love to dance. The ballet terms are woven smoothly into the text, with a glossary at the end to teach pronunciation, meaning, and what each move looks like. Though the rhyming scheme is just a little forced here and there, the illustrations are both pretty and dynamic, with a warm, inviting color palette, and the genuine diversity among the dancers on the page (in skin tone, body shape/size, and gender presentation) is marvelous. A charming addition to any young ballet lover’s bookshelf.

Thank you to NetGalley and IBPA for the advance review copy.