On Saturday, Oct. 20, the Harvard Public Library will host author David Ira Rottenberg. He will bring his tale “Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig” to life. The story is about two young swines who have human aspirations.
Gwendolyn dreams of becoming a ballerina, and her best friend, Omar, wants to join the football team. Unfortunately, they are both too clumsy to succeed. Then, serendipitously, Gwendolyn meets Ms. Natasha Levertov. Ms. Natasha, “the greatest teacher of dance in ze vorld,” invites the friends to join her ballet school to help their dreams materialize.
Rottenberg’s unique approach to storytelling involves the use of local ballet students who “act out” the pages of the book while he reads. The cast for the Harvard performance will come from Ayer Road’s Harvard Academy of Dance and will include dancers ranging in age from 6 to 16.
Rottenberg got the idea to “perform” the book for audiences after his experiences at book events in Barnes and Noble bookstores. “When I was beginning to do book events, I realized that many moms would take their little children to a bookstore just to see me read my book. I didn’t think this was very exciting for the children,” he told the Press. “So then I thought, why not bring some real dancers with me to demonstrate ballet. This became very popular and then it evolved into a full story presentation. And, at the end, the audience can take pictures with me and the dancers and get autographs from all of us.”
Rottenberg revels in the reaction he gets from the audience.
“Girls and boys love it,” he said.
That is exactly what Harvard Public Library children’s librarian Abby Kingsbury had heard.
“When David contacted me I was immediately on board,” she said. “I was told about David by a children’s librarian in another town. She let me know how positive and fun it was for the audience and how excited the kids were to see the book come to life. I think it is a great way for kids to experience literature.”
“Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig” is the first book in a series written by Rottenberg, a Natick resident who has published two novels and co-authored three business books. He has also established himself in the world of poetry with “Soldiers of Beauty,” a collection of poems about ballet. His latest book, “Gwendolyn Goes Hollywood,” follows Gwendolyn and Omar as they take their dancing talents on the road.
Rottenberg’s inspiration for the Gwendolyn series happened when he saw his neighbor’s children all dressed in their dance outfits heading off to ballet class. He added Omar, the uncoordinated friend, to reinforce the book’s theme of perseverance. In Rottenberg’s words, “You should follow your dreams. Even though following your dreams is hard work, it is also fun.”
Rottenberg’s visit to Harvard is one of many he is making on his fall library and school tour. He will be in towns all across Massachusetts in October and November and has been invited to perform at a school in Miami, Florida. For Rottenberg, it is a dream come true.
“I love that my characters are an inspiration to children,” he said.
