Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret

Written by Bob Shea

Narrated by Michele Medlin

While Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony are trying to decide what to play, they each share an important secret.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781501925245

Bob Shea

Bob Shea has written and illustrated more than a dozen picture books, including Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, and is the author of Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads and Big Plans, both illustrated by Lane Smith. His writing career began at Comedy Central, and his characters and animations have appeared on Nick Jr., Playhouse Disney, and PBS Kids.

Reviews for Ballet Cat

[antmusic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

We received a Recorded Books audio CD for review. It has two tracks, one regular and one with page-turn signals. It has very cute music. I WISH they provided a copy of the book with this physical audiobook CD. It sounds like it would have cute illustrations. The whole thing is a conversation. The narrator, Michelle O. Medlin, does a great job of making the listener know who is who. It covers worries and safety issues most kids deal with when playing. It covers secrets that kids can share. To be ultra-honest., the only thing I didn't like was the end-bit when Michelle introduced herself and made a mini-commercial after "The End." That stuff should have been ONLY at the start (which it mostly was).

[s_trevor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book was a fun, cute display of friendship and compromise. There is a lesson to be learned about honesty. Ballet Cat and her friend Sparkles the Pony are deciding what to play. Sparkles wants to do calmer activities, which Ballet Cat rejects due to the dangers of jumping and spinning while doing them. Sparkles gets sad while they play ballet, and eventually reveals with great drama that no, Sparkles does not want to play ballet right now. Ballet cat cares about her friend more than playing ballet, and they play checkers together. The art is fun and simple,, and the story is a bit ridiculous, which works great with the characters.

[janismin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Friendship! It has its ups and downs! Friendship often comes with misunderstandings and secrets. Ballet cat and Sparkles the Pony have some secrets that they share with each other and this one disc story will surely entertain young listeners. The narration by Michele O. Medlin represents characters well and one CD is just the right length!

[c5ibarra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What happens when your bestie is keeping a secret because she fears she'll hurt your feelings? Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret explores that scenario. Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony are best friends. Ballet Cat loves....well.....can you guess? Ballet! While trying to decide what to play Ballet Cat quickly dismisses all of Sparkles suggestions because they aren't compatible with the spinning, leaping, and kicking her ballet loving self plans to do that day. Sparkles the Pony eventually confesses that she doesn't really like ballet all while expecting the worst. Ballet Cat takes it like a champ and confesses her "secret secret" that she still loves Sparkles even if she doesn't love ballet too.This is a great book to explore situations where friends don't like the same stuff, which can be a challenge for children and leave them feeling forced to pretend to like something for the sake of a friendship (admit it us adults find ourselves in those situations too!). The story encourages readers not be afraid to disagree or maintain their individuality. I loved the positive message.I listened to this on audio and the narrator is amazing. Her voices and emotions made the story so much more enjoyable. It is no secret secret that Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony are two of my new favorite characters!

[brcslibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Super cute little story for little kids...predictable, but fun. Sweet story about two friends who are tired of playing the same games and want to do something different.

[davis22-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ballet Cat finds it difficult to incorporate Sparkles the horse's playtime suggestions into her repertoire of ballet moves. Sparkes has a secret; Sparkles does not like to play ballet every single day. Ballet cat has a secret of her own, a very secret secret. Wanna know what it is? I'll never tell! It's a secret secret!

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony were best friends who played together every day. Unfortunately, the ever exuberant Ballet Cat always wanted to do the same thing: 'play' ballet. When Sparkles evinces less enthusiasm than usual for their game, after his feline friend once again insists on dancing, Ballet Cat insists on knowing why. His secret - that sometimes he doesn't want to play ballet - isn't the friendship-breaker that he fears. Instead, he learns that Ballet Cat also has a secret...A charming little early reader about being a true friend, Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret taps into a number of themes relevant to younger children, from their absorption in imaginative games - the dance they perform is part of a larger storytelling game - to their often heedless desire to get their own way, even in play. The ending, in which Ballet Cat reveals that there is something she likes more than ballet (Sparkles, of course!) is really quite sweet. I thought the dialogue here really captured childhood speech patterns - something confirmed for me after hearing this book read aloud at story-hour numerous times - and appreciated the variation of type size, and how this was used to express the characters' emotions. The artwork, done in a cartoon-like style on brightly colored pages, will capture children's attention, even as the story engages them. Recommended to anyone looking for entertaining early readers addressing issues of friendship and control.

[sszkutak_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ballet Cat is a book for very young readers and the audiobook it very cute. There are two tracks, one that is just a quick read-through which takes about 6 minutes and the next track as page turn ques for it you also own the physical/ ebook and are viewing/ reading along. I think that this is a great way to help children learn to read.The story itself was adorable and very fun, I think fans of ballet and friendship will love this one.

[robenc-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just love Ballet Cat. She reminds me so much of my 4-1/2 year old granddaughter. So I was thrilled to receive a copy of the audio book for review! I loved the music on the CD - I thought it really set a great tone for the story. The first track plays the story straight through. The second track offers signals to turn the page if you are reading along with a book. My only complaint was that the reader could have done a better job distinguishing between the voices of Ballet Cat and her best friend, Sparkles the Pony. But I still loved the story. This will definitely be added to our collection at the library! Thank you for the review copy!

[stefaniegeeks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although the woman who reads the audio version of this book makes Ballet Cat sound a little sadistic at times I enjoyed the story. If you have a child who is eager to please everyone then this book is a great choice as it shows you that it is okay to feel differently than your friends about activities and that true friends will love you even if you don't love everything they do. It's a great choice for early readers and the illustrations are bright and charming as ever.

[shazzerwise_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bob Shea's whimsical illustrations, a pink ballet-loving cat and a secret? Count me in, please. This book is somewhere between a picture book and an early reader, but I think it is definitely something kids are going to enjoy. And I think all manner of children (and adults) will understand Pony's dilemma of holding a secret from his friend, because he is afraid of how she will react. The audio version of the text is entertaining, and I appreciate that the disc comes with a duplicate track that includes page turns.

[renaemcbrian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

We love Bob Shea! As usual, a fun book, and my son's first audiobook! Great quality audio too. I have a feeling we will listen to this book a lot, and maybe buy a hard copy.

[lempsterlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book for early readers! Short and funny and a moral as well. This is a fun and easy read for 5-6 year olds. A good addition to any child's library.

[brookvillej · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book on CD as part of the early reviewers group on Library Thing. It has 2 tracks (one with the reading alone, the other with page-turn signals). The story itself is of Ballet Cat and her best friend, Sparkle Pony. Sparkle Pony suggests several things for the best friends to do, but Ballet Cat seems to only want to dance. Sparkle Pony is afraid to tell Ballet Cat that he doesn't want to play ballet today. How will she react? Fortunately for the friends, Ballet Cat loves something even more than ballet...The narrator does a good job differentiating between the voices of the two friends, and one can hear the emotions in her portrayals well enough to know how the characters feel without reference to the pictures. Regarding the page-turn signals on track 2, they are slow enough for an adult, though some kids (who have less coordination and will already be concentrating hard on the unfamiliar words) may find it difficult to follow along. But that is not uncommon for this age range. The narrator reads slowly enough that beginning readers should be able to follow along, though they may be lost in the occasional longer passage. Well done overall, and a fun (and funny) story for beginning readers.

[eo206 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret is a charming story about how Ballet Cat and Sparkle Pony learn to play together. Ballet Cat wants to dance but Sparkle Pony isn't feeling the dancing grove and has to figure out how to let Ballet Cat know sometimes she wants to do something different. The audio version is one CD disk with two tracks. The first track is the story straight through, track two has page turn signals to go along with a paper book (not included).

[paula2childrenslib · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony are trying to decide what to play, they each share an important secret.

[klack128-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Super cute, with a nice message. Lots of fun to read out loud.

[jessie_bear_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What will Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony play today? Will they make crafts, play checkers, drink lemonade, or perhaps play ballet? Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret is the first book in a new early reader series and is an excellent choice for young readers looking for an Elephant and Piggie readalike. Rounded versus quadrilateral dialogue bubbles add a visual cue as to which character is speaking, and the story is ideal for reading aloud, with or without using silly voices. Shea’s humor ranges from dry to laugh out loud funny with spot on comedic timing. Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony’s story presents a lesson on friendship that is perfect for the age of the target audience while not being didactic. Shea’s use of thick lines and minimal detail in his characters mix well with the bright colors in this reader. Each page is a different bold color, making the large amounts of negative space visually appealing while not detracting from the characters’ narrative. Lots of color, successful humor, and lovable characters make Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret a real winner. Ballet Cat leaps onto the early reader scene like a breath of fresh air and is very highly recommended for ages four to seven. (4.5 stars, reviewed from an ARC provided by the publisher)

[toast.x2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ballet Cat and Sparkle Pony need something to do. They discuss the various crafts and activities they could work on, games they could play but Ballet Cat is of a single mind. At every turn, she finds ways to wiggle out and bring focus back on Ballet.

So ballet is what it will be! When Sparkle Pony appears down in the dumps, he tells her about his Secret Secret and his fear that she will no longer want to be friends if she learns it. The two realize what a special friendship they share as they work through this conundrum.

Kids who like the Dinosaur vs. books will quickly gel with this kids book. Readers of the Mo Willems Pigeon books will also jive with this very quickly. At approx 30 pages, with lots of bright colors, it will hold their attention just long enough to put a smile on their faces.


Kiddo Perspective:
In our household, Ballet Cat sounds like a clone of Foofa on Yo Gabba Gabba, Sparkle Pony sounds like Eyore's cousin. It was a ton of fun to read and Bob Shea packed so much personality into these two characters. My son was really into it. He was down for the painted characters and the bright splotchy outside the lines coloring.

Adult Perspective:
My son is not a boy who is afraid of pink or other 'girl things' which is awesome because this book should not be quickly written off as boy or girl centric. It is chock full of cool images and teaches a good lesson about doing what other people want to do rather than always getting your way.

Bob Shea is the author of the Dinosaur vs Bedtime and other great books. This book is no less a hit, it is fun to read and is filled with sarcasm that adults can pick up. My wife and I would have this on our shelves even if we had no kids, as it is so freaking cute.

I think that older kids might be okay with this book in E-format, my son however needs a dead tree copy. I don't know how parents can keep a kids attention when looking at an ipad or other tablet.. Paper baby, that's the ticket.

Highly suggested book, I look forward to putting this in our library and seeing what the rest of this new series will be like.

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This book was provided for review purposes by the publisher. I appreciate this because my children are going to eat me out of house and home.