This is my booi<. My name is Will you please read it to me? Thank you ^A. ^rbieJ^ves By Angela Roberts • Illustrated by Karen Wolcott Cover photography by Joe Dias, Shirley Ushirogata, Bill Coutts, Greg Roccia, Lisa Collins, and Judy Tsuno A Random House PICTUREBACK® Book Random House (^ New York BARBIE and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by, and used under license from. Mattel, Inc. Copyright © 2005 Mattel. Inc. All Rights Reserved. Published in the United States by Golden Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House. Inc.. New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited. Toronto. No part of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form without permission from the copyright owner. PICTUREBACK. RANOOM HOUSE, and the Random House colophon are registered trademarks of Random House. Inc. Library of Congress Control Number: 2004106713 ISBN: 0-375-82756-0 wwwjandomhouse.com/kids/properties/barbie Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 Remember to keep your toes pointed!" said Kelly's dance teacher, Miss Lee. "Keep your backs straight, and don't forget to smile!" Kelly didn't have to be reminded to smile. She loved everything about ballet — the music, the steps, and especially the spins! "Thank you for your hard work today," said Miss Lee at the end of class. "And now I have some wonderful news. Next week, we're going to have a recital! A recital is a performance your friends and family watch to see you do the routines you've been practicing in class." ^ « Everyone cheered — everyone, that is, except Kelly. She didn't feel like cheering at all. oc CIEDr- ^4 W "I heard the great news, Kelly," Barbie said when she picked up her little sister after class. "Just think — ^you'll get to perform your ballet routine in front of everyone! And I'll be there, too. Miss Lee asked me to help all of you get ready and to perform one of my ballet routines. Won't it be fun?" \. i\ \. r -_JL_- I L- ) CZ L CZL 'que LZD LZ] If "^^ ^icncz) 3 CZ] cP Kelly didn't answer. "Is everything all right?" Barbie asked. "I don't want to be in the recital," Kelly said. "Why not?" Barbie asked. "You love ballet, and you're ^ so good at it!" "I do love ballet," Kelly agreed, "but I don't want to dance in front of all those people. I might mess up or stumble and fall down!" CXZD (ZH ^ •=^ CZ] CD CD CD CZ J (^ ** "It's okay to feel nervous," Barbie said. "The best thin] you can do is practice, practice, practice. If you'd like, I'l help you. Then you'll be ready for the recital." "Thanks, Barbie," Kelly said with a smile. With Barbie's help, Kelly practiced her ballet routine every day. "Good job, Kelly. Remember to hold your chin high and keep your arms straight," Barbie reminded her. X -aft ,^%t A# J Kelly practiced after school and after dinner. "You were right, Barbie," Kelly said one night. I've practiced so much that Tm not nervous at all!' The day before the big recital, Barbie asked, "Are you ready to run through your routine one more time?" "I'm tired of practicing," Kelly said. "I think I'll just skip practice today." ^1 "Remember the old saying — 'Practice makes perfect.' I sometimes get tired of practicing, too, but when it comes time to perform, I'm always glad I did. Don't you think it would be a good idea to go over your routine once more?" "Okay, Barbie," agreed Kelly. "Let's go over it one more time." That night, Kelly dreamed she was a famous ballerina onstage in front of hundreds of people. "Bravo! Bravo!" the audience shouted as she did a beautiful pirouette. -K t r t -K -K c, -K c, -K <; The big day finally arrived! At the ballet studio, everyone rushed to get ready. "Has anyone seen my ballet shoes?" asked Lexie. "Can someone comb my hair?" asked Chloe. "I'm scared," Kelly said as Barbie helped her get dressed. "I feel like I have butterflies in my stomach — even after all that practice." "Everyone gets butterflies," said Barbie, "but after all your hard work, you can go out there knowing that you're ready to do your very best!" After Barbie finished helping everyone get into their costumes, she went onstage and danced for the crowd. The audience loved it! 1 r: Sssa