Angelina's Halloween

About Katherine Holabird

Katharine was the mother of two young daughters when, with artist Helen Craig, she created Angelina Ballerina in 1982. “My little girls and their friends reminded me of my childhood enthusiasm for dance. They were completely mad about ballet, and I was struck by the daily drama of their lives, both in and out of ballet classes. The courage and determination it takes to be a small performer impressed me, as did all the emotional upheavals that take place behind the scenes. Whispered secrets, disappointment and jealousy, stage fright and tears while yearning to be a little star, are all part and parcel of a theatrical child’s everyday life. I wanted to write something especially for all the passionate little dancers and performers in the world, and decided to explore the impulsive, highly emotional character of a small but determined ballerina.”

When she first wrote about Angelina, Katherine envisaged her character as a little girl, but when artist Helen Craig showed her the first drawings of Angelina as a mouse, it worked perfectly. “The impulsive character of Angelina came alive,” says Katharine, “and seemed to pirouette off the page with enthusiasm and energy, while her plump and ebullient body expressed drama and attitude in every twitch of her tail.