Maria Tallchief was born on an Osage Indian Reservation in Oklahoma in 1925 to an Osage Indian father and a Scots-Irish mother. Both of her parents encouraged her early interest in music and arranged for her to study both piano and ballet. By 1933 it have become so clear to her parents that Maria was gifted that they moved the entire family to Los Angeles so she could get a better education in music and dance. Told in a direct, first-person narrative, this autobiographical account of Tallchief’s childhood and adolescence stresses her bicultural heritage, as well as the influences of her childhood dance teachers. Many of Gary Kelley’s pastel paintings pay tribute to Degas. (Ages 5-10)

Growing up on the Osage Indian reservation, Maria Tallchief was a gifted pianist and dancer. According to Osage tradition, women are not permitted to dance, but Maria's parents recognized her gifts and allowed her to break the rule. Then when Maria reached the age of twelve, her father told her it was time to choose between her two loves. Maria chose ballet. It was a decision that would change not only the course of her life, but the face of classical ballet in America. The fascinating story of Maria Tallchief's rise to become America's prima ballerina will captivate young readers.