Middle Child Milieu: Matilda in the Middle by Cori Doerrfeld

MATILDA WAS A LITTLE BUNNY WHO LIVED IN A BURROW WITH HER MOTHER, HER FATHER...

AND HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS--HER MANY, MANY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!

Matilda loves her family, but her brothers and sisters (over two dozen of them) are so busy that she feels lost in the crowd.

Her mother notices. And one day she tells her middle daughter...

"I WANT TO DO SOMETHING JUST FOR YOU.

SO I SIGNED YOU UP FOR BUNNY BALLET!"

That turns out to be a brilliant idea. Matilda takes to her dance lessons, and after a bit of newbie nervousness, she loves being in a relatively smaller group and resolves to practice at home until she catches up with her class.But practice has its problems in Matilda's crowded household. Releves are doable, but a grand tour jete' is out of the question. There's just no room! But Matilda does the best she can to get through the practice moves, and her teacher, Miss Mileu takes notice.

"MATILDA, MY DEAR, I WANT YOU TO DANCE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STAGE WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE YOU!"

Matilda is daunted; she has never been the center of attention in her life, but bravely she tries to buck up her courage and practices harder than ever, even though no one in the family seems to know or care about her upcoming recital. But there is a startling surprise in store for her when the Matilda takes center stage as the curtain goes up!

EVERYONE IN HER FAMILY, FROM THE YOUNGEST TO THE ELDEST, WAS THERE!

Middle-child Matilda finds that her place right in the middle of a supportive family is the best place to be as she has her moment in the limelight, in Cori Doerrfeld's latest, Matilda in the Middle: A Bunny Ballet Story (Little, Brown and Company, 2015). Matilda is a determined main character who shows that even a middle child can find a way to stand out in the crowd. With the popularity of both bunnies and ballet coming together in this charmingly illustrated rabbit tale, Matilda is going to be a standout in the well-populated ballet book crowd as well.