The lights dim, the house grows still. and the curtains part to reveal the haunting beauty of Swan Lake. Once again, ballerina Margot Fonteyn enchants audiences this time to tell the tale of the doomed lovers as only she can.
The age-old legend in which a lovely princess, turned into a swan by an evil enchanter, is rescued by a handsome young prince has become one of the world's best-loved ballets. And the story takes on yet another form as the graceful figures in Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations float magically across the pages.
Swan Lake as told by Margot Fonteyn and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman will be treasured as dearly by those who already love the ballet as by those who have yet to fall under its spell.
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Dame Margot Fonteyn is considered by many the most beloved ballerina of our time. She has been decorated by governments and honored by degrees from major universities around the world. In 1953 she became President of the Royal Academy of Dancing in London, a post she still holds. In 1956 she was made Dame Commander of the British Empire. Since 1981 she has been Chancellor of the University of Durham. She is author of the acclaimed autobiography Margot Fonteyn as well as A Dancer's World and the highly praised TV series The Magic of Dance. She and her husband, Roberto E. Arias, former Panamanian ambassador to the Court of St. James, live on a farm in Panama.
Trina Schart Hyman has been illustrating children's books for more than twenty years. Her paintings have enhanced a wide range of literature, including biography and fairy tales. In 1983 Little Red Riding Hood, which she retold and illustrated, was designated a Caldecott Honor Book. Two years later she received the Caldecott Medal for her stirringly romantic illustrations for Saint George and the Dragon. Trina Schart Hyman lives and works on a farm in Lyme, New Hampshire.
—from the dust jacket
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