Marie and her parents are very poor, but Marie dreams of being the most famous ballerina in the world.

When she joins the big ballet school in Paris, she notices a fierce man sitting at the side, sketching the dancers.

The old man is the painter Edgar Degas, and his renowned clay model of Marie the ballet dancer does indeed make her the most famous dancer of all.

Laurence Anholt's charmingly written story and lively illustrations are sensitively combined with reproductions of paintings and sketches by Degas, to create a fascinating introduction to the great painter and his love of the ballet.