Too Too Many Tutus – a Review

Title: Too Too Many Tutus
Author: Suzanne Davis Marion
Illustrator: Marj Hales
Reading Level: Ages 4 – 8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Booksurge Books, 2009
ISBN: 13978-1439218471

Suzanne Davis Marion’s book is wonderfully crafted, colorful, and enchanting. It was such a joy to read, and I know that young girls will especially enjoy it.

Too Too Many Tutus is about Christina, a girl, who cannot decide which color tutu to wear to her ballet class. She asks her Mom which color tutu she should wear. But her Mom asks her to talk to her Dad about it. Her Dad feels that he cannot decide which one she should wear either because they’re all so beautiful.

So Christina asks her big brother Max, and he suggests that she spread all of her tutus put on the bed. Once she looks at all of them she may be able to decide which one she really would like to wear. Can Christina decide which color tutu to wear?

From this point onward, the story takes on a rhythmical tone that will both enchant and entrance every girl who reads the book. The words almost have a sing song quality to them. What an enriching, exciting, colorful, and wonderful journey for any girl to take!

The book is also wonderfully illustrated by Marj Hales, who is a gifted painter. Hales’s representation of the little girl in the different ballet positions is so realistic and accurate. The colors of the tutus are an absolute delight to the reader’s eye and will transport every child into the world of dance and ballet.

When I read the book to my niece, she immediately decided she wants to start taking ballet classes herself when she turns five next year. She was mesmerized by the vivid colors on each page. She can’t wait to wear her very own tutu. And she loves the pink tutu the most.

About the author: Suzanne Davis Marion grew up in Tuscon, Arizona and graduated from the University of Arizona and from the University of Houston Moores School of Music. She is a singer, pianist, and teacher, and recently developed a small business creating
personalized lullabies and play songs for children. She and her husband Stuart live in Houston, Texas with their two dogs, Laura and Diana.

About the Illustrator: Marj Hales is originally from North Dakota. Marj Hales graduated from Concordia College in Minnesota and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Oklahoma. Happy watercolours of bright florals and whimsical animals are among her favourite subjects, reflecting an inner joy that she hopes to communicate to others.

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Visit Irene Roth online at sites.google.com/site/irenerothfreelancewriter.