Tallulah

Series · 6 books · 2011-2018

By Marilyn Singer

Books in series

Tallulah's Tutu

2011

Tallulah just knew she could be a great ballerina, if only she had a tutu. So she starts ballet class. When she does not receive a tutu, she quits. But everywhere she goes, things keep reminding her of ballet. Her neighbor’s basset hound always stands in second position. The kitchen clock performs perfect ronds de jambe. And Tallulah can’t seem to stop doing ballet, either. A park bench makes a perfect barre, and what better way to pet the dog than with a graceful plié? This well-told, funny story with a smart new character will satisfy girls’ cravings for pretty and pink, but also shows that ballet is about more than just the tutu.

Tallulah's Solo

2012

Tallulah is certain she will have a solo in her dance school’s upcoming performance of The Frog Prince. After all, she is now an excellent ballerina. And she’s proud that her little brother, Beckett, has started taking ballet too, even though he spends most of his time goofing off. But then Tallulah gets an unexpected surprise . . . and not the good kind. What’s a ballerina to do when everything does not go as planned? Ballet and sibling rivalry meet head-on in this fabulous follow-up to Tallulah’s Tutu.

Tallulah's Toe Shoes

2015

Tallulah is back in ballet class and now she wants to go en pointe—to dance up on the tips of her toes in pink satin toe shoes, like a real ballerina. But going en pointe is not good for growing feet, and her ballet teacher says her feet aren't ready yet. Oh, yes, they are, Tallulah thinks. And so am I. Not only is she ready, she's determined. And nothing stops Tallulah when her mind is made up!

Tallulah's Nutcracker

2013

It’s Christmastime, and Tallulah finally gets what she’s been wishing for—a part in a real ballet, a professional production of The Nutcracker. She’s only a mouse, but she works as hard as if she had been cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy. On the night of the show, everything is perfect. But then disaster strikes! Does Tallulah have what it takes to become a real ballerina? A well-told story, gorgeous illustrations, and a beloved character conspire to make a positively magical Christmas book.

Tallulah's Tap Shoes

2015

It’s summer, and Tallulah is excited about going to dance camp. She’ll get to take plenty of ballet classes. She’ll have to take tap, too, and she’s NOT excited about that. She’s never taken tap before, so she’ll be a beginning beginner. And she’s right—tap class is not much fun. Plus there’s a girl her same age who’s maddeningly good at tap dancing. But that same girl isn’t very good at ballet . . . could it be that she and Tallulah have something in common?

Tallulah's Ice Skates

2018

Tallulah heads out into a winter wonderland to go ice skating and finds out that having fun is sometimes more important than being the best, in this new, snowy addition to the popular Tallulah series. Tallulah is an accomplished ballerina, but she also loves to skate. After all, skating’s a lot like ballet—challenging, graceful, and glamorous. Tallulah is positive that with some hard work, she and her friend Kacie will be just as good on the ice as they are at dance. They'll be Super Skaters! But Kacie doesn’t want to rehearse fancy moves; she wants to have fun. So Tallulah practices by herself. That is, until an encounter with a talented boy, which ends with an embarrassing mishap. Then Tallulah begins to realize that sometimes having fun is more important than being the best, a needed message for today’s goal-oriented, busy kids.

Author

Marilyn Singer

Author · 86 books

Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx (New York City) on October 3, 1948 and lived most of her early life in N. Massapequa (Long Island), NY. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University. In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co. Since then, Marilyn has published over seventy books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored. She has won several Children's Choice and Parents' Choice Awards, as well as the following: the Creature Carnival, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005; I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion, New York Public Library's "Best Books for the Teen Age," 2001; Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2000 (YALSA); On the Same Day in March, Booklist's Top Ten Science Books of 2000; NCSS-CBC Notable Book, 2000; Deal with a Ghost, finalist, YA category, Edgar Award, 1998; It Can't Hurt Forever, Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983; The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983; Turtle in July, NCTE Notable, N.Y.Times Best Illustrated and Time Magazine Best Children's Books of 1989; Turtle in July was also a Reading Rainbow review book. Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, a cousin of their beloved and recently departed poodle Easy, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling. Her interests include dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.