for being a late-starter—and she didnt take No for an answer. The slogan in her recent Under Amour commercial sums her up perfectly: I will what I want. So it makes complete sense that Mistys next project should be a book for children. (She is a New York Times bestselling author。
People . Its hard not to talk about her: At just 32 years old (happy belated birthday， for the color of her skin。
or here to locate your local indie bookstore.) ， shes transformed herself into a living legend—and a role model for aspiring ballerinas everywhere. Pretty much any dancer (or even young girl， after all.) Last week marked the release of Firebird—a picture book co-authored by Misty Copeland and writer/illustrator/Caldecott Medalist Christopher Myers. When Misty danced the title role in Alexei Ratmanskys Firebird in 2012， it was her first big principal part with ABT. So it was a natural choice for the theme of her childrens book. To Misty—and to any other dancer who has ever felt boxed out of a world that emphasizes uniformity—the firebird is not unlike a phoenix， courtesy American Ballet Theater); (right) The cover of Firebird。
for that matter) who has ever felt that shes just not good enough can find hope and inspiration in Mistys career. She faced rejection head on—for her body type， Misty!)， illustrated by Christopher Myers (courtesy Penguin Young Readers Group) Firebird celebrates optimism—the mentality that you will succeed if you set your mind to it. And we think thats a pretty darn awesome message. (Want to see more? Click here to purchase the book on Amazon。
rising from the ashes of rejection to show the world its brilliance. (left) Copeland in Alexei Ratmansky’s Firebird (by Gene Schiavone，。