Rachel Isadora


Rachel Isadora is an American illustrator, children's book author, specializing in picture books, and painter. She is most famous for the book Ben's Trumpet, runner-up for the 1980 Caldecott Medal, or Caldecott Honor Book, and winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book honor. Ben's Trumpet was adapted to video and also translated into a ballet by the Boston ballet company BalletRox in 2009. The more than 150 children's books Isadora has written and illustrated span a wide variety of topics, including ballet and dance, American urban culture and family life, life in Africa, and traditional fairy tales. Several of Isadora’s books have been selected by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Isadora was a professional ballet dancer before an injury led to a change of careers. In addition to freelance writing and illustration, Isadora shows and sells oil paintings, many of which reflect her love of dance, as well as her experiences living in Africa and New York City.

Biography

Isadora started dancing as a young girl and went on to study at the School of American Ballet on a scholarship from the Ford Foundation. She studied under New York City Ballet founder and artistic director, George Balanchine, and costume and scenic designer, Rouben Ter-Arutunion. She briefly danced with the Boston Ballet Company, until a foot injury caused her to seek work as a visual artist instead. Her first book published in 1976, Max, is about a boy who realizes that taking ballet can help him become a better baseball player. Max was named an ALA Notable Book. Many of her other works incorporate ballet and dance, most notably the series, Lili at Ballet, Lili on Stage, Lili Backstage, and the Caldecott Honor award-winning Ben's Trumpet, which combines music and dance.
She lived in Africa for almost ten years, and has adapted a number of well-known stories and fairy tales to African settings, including Rapunzel, The Princess and the Pea, Hanzel and Gretel, The Fisherman and His Wife, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Night before Christmas, and The Twelve Days of Christmas.
Isadora's love for visual arts continues as well through her oil paintings. Her solo exhibit in 2016 called "Art of the Dance" featured 25 paintings about classic ballet and modern dance.. She has continued to exhibit in multiple shows; in 2019 at ArtNY, The Reveal Art Show in Saratoga Springs, NY and ArtMiami.

Works

Writer and illustrator

  1. Max, Macmillan, 1976
  2. The Potters' Kitchen, Greenwillow, 1977
  3. Willaby, Macmillan, 1977
  4. Backstage, with Robert Maiorano, Greenwillow, 1978
  5. Ben's Trumpet, Greenwillow, 1979
  6. My Ballet Class, Greenwillow, 1980
  7. No, Agatha!, Greenwillow, 1980
  8. Jesse and Abe, Greenwillow, 1981
  9. The Nutcracker, Macmillan, 1981
  10. City Seen from A to Z, Greenwillow, 1983
  11. Opening Night, Greenwillow, 1984
  12. I Hear, Greenwillow, 1985
  13. I See, Greenwillow, 1985
  14. I Touch, Greenwillow, 1985
  15. The Pirates of Bedford Street, Greenwillow, 1988
  16. The Princess and the Frog, Greenwillow, 1989
  17. Swan Lake: A Ballet Story, Putnam, 1989
  18. Friends, Greenwillow, 1990
  19. Babies, Greenwillow, 1990
  20. At the Crossroads, Greenwillow, 1991
  21. Over the Green Hills, Greenwillow, 1992
  22. Lili at Ballet, Greenwillow, 1993
  23. Firebird, Putnam, 1994
  24. My Ballet Diary, Penguin Putnam, 1995
  25. Lili on Stage, Penguin Putnam, 1995
  26. The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Penguin Putnam, 1996
  27. The Little Match Girl, Penguin Putnam, 1996
  28. Lili Backstage, Penguin Putnam, 1997
  29. Young Mozart, Penguin, 1997.
  30. The Little Mermaid, Penguin Putnam, 1998.
  31. Isadora Dances, Viking Penguin, 1998
  32. A South African Night, HarperCollins, 1998
  33. Caribbean Dreams, Putnam, 1998
  34. Listen to the City, Putnam, 1999
  35. ABC Pop!, Viking Penguin, 1999
  36. Sophie Skates, Penguin Putnam, 1999
  37. 123 Pop!, Penguin Putnam, 2000
  38. Nick Plays Baseball, Penguin Putnam, 2001
  39. Bring on That Beat, Penguin Putnam, 2002
  40. Peekaboo Morning, Penguin Putnam, 2002
  41. Mr. Moon, Greenwillow, 2002
  42. On Your Toes: A Ballet ABC, Greenwillow, 2003
  43. Not Just Tutus, Putnam, 2003
  44. In the Beginning, Putnam, 2003
  45. What a Family, Putnam, 2005
  46. Luke Goes to Bat, Putnam, 2005
  47. Yo, Jo!, Harcourt, 2007
  48. The Princess and the Pea, Putnam Juvenile
  49. Rapunzel,, Putnam Juvenile
  50. The Fisherman and His Wife,, Putnam Juvenile
  51. The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Putnam Juvenile
  52. Hanzel and Gretel, Putnam Juvenile
  53. The Night before Christmas, Putnam Juvenile
  54. The Twelve Days of Christmas, Putnam Juvenile
  55. Say Hello, Putnam Juvenile,
  56. There Was a Tree, Nancy Paulsen Books, Division of Penguin Random House,
  57. Bea at the Ballet, Nancy Paulsen Books, Division of Penguin Random House
  58. Old Mikamba Had a Farm, Nancy Paulsen Books, Division of Penguin Random House,
  59. Jake at Gymnastics, Nancy Paulsen Books, Division of Penguin Random House,
  60. Bea in the Nutcracker, Nancy Paulsen Books, Division of Penguin Random House,
  61. I Hear a Pickle, Nancy Paulsen Books, Division of Penguin Random House,
  62. I Just Want to Say Goodnight, Nancy Paulsen Books, Division of Penguin Random House,
  63. My Dog Laughs, Nancy Paulsen Books, Division of Penguin Random House,

    Illustrator

To view Isadora’s paintings, refer to this link to her , rachelisadora.com.

Awards and honors

Ben's Trumpet was adapted into a jazz ballet choreographed by Tony Williams and debuted by BalletRox in 2009.