Degas: Painter of Ballerinas

From its petal-pink satin binding to its gleaming foiled title and page decorations evoking tulle and twisting ribbon curls, this introduction to Edgar Degas is squarely aimed at readers fond of a certain dance aesthetic. The froufrou design detracts from Degas’s unsentimental drawings and paintings of young dancers known as the “petits rats.” Plainspoken text (“He portrayed their gestures: leaning against a bench, stretching, rubbing their aching necks”) describes the artist’s working process, observations of the dancers, and his sympathy for their hard work, as well as how eyesight troubles led to his sculpted dance works, including the iconic “The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer.” The book closes with a short, serviceable biography and a rich selection of references, including a glossary, a list of galleries holding works by Degas, and a complete list of illustrations. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)