Customer Reviews

Barn Dance! (Reading Rainbow Books)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Scarecrows aren't really scary unless you're a crow -- or a preschooler. My son was terrified of scarecrows until we found this book. Now, it's torn and tattered, and a favorite of both my boys and their older sister. It's the story of what goes on in the barn when (almost) everyone in the farmhouse is sleeping.

All except the skinny kid with questions in his head, Much too full of wonderment to spend the night in bed, He was up about and list'nin'. . . . . .when the night owl said, Come a little closer. . . Come a little closer. . . Listen to the night. . . There's magic in the air. . . The skinny kid can hear the sound of fiddle strings, and he looks out his window to see the scarecrow leading all the animals into the barn for a hoe-down. Intrigued, the skinny kid sneaks into the barn and hides. Pretty soon, though, the scarecrow spots him and invites him to join in.

Out came the skinny kid, a-tickin' an' a-tockin' An' a hummin' an' a-yeein' an' a rockin' an' a sockin'. An' he danced his little toe through a hole in his stockin'! By this point in the story, my kids are itchin' to get up and dance, too. But, as the night owl points out, the magic can only last so long. The skinny kid sneaks back into his bed in the farmhouse to watch the sunrise. It might have been a dream, except for that hole in his sock.

In addition to the wonderful verse that sets toes a-tappin', my kids love the illustrations. My three-year-old always points out the skinny kid's progress as he sneaks out of the house, past the hound dog, into the barn, and back. All the kids giggle at the whirling pigs, who get so dizzy that they all fall down.

My 7 year old daughter loves this book so much she wants me to purchase it. We originally got it frm the library, My 5 year old son loves to here my voice when the Crow says "Begin! Grab yourself a partner an jump right in"! This is a well writen book that I would highly recommend.

I've come to realize that Ted Rand is an absolutely wonderful illustrator. Coupled with the most rhythmic and lyrical text you'll ever see, this book has become my son's new favorite. Pictures are full and colorful and the text brings out the ham in any reader-aloud. It's fun, fun, fun! Yee-Ha!!

As an avid square dancer this delightful book captures the joy and thrill of an evening of dancing. I have shared it with my two granddaughters, ages 7 and 4. Although they question why we might dance with the cows and chickens, as shown in the wonderful illustrations, they have a better understanding of what we do at a square dance. My husband is a caller and finds the scarecrow a charming immitation of the same role. A must read for dancers of all ages!

Brilliant illustrations. The writing takes you into the story, which is exciting & fun. Get it, you won't be dissapionted!

Barn Dance is a delightful book to read aloud. The rhythm of the words moves like the music at the Barn Dance itself. The illustrations are magical in the way they capture the feeling of being the only one awake on a moonlit evening. You can almost feel the breeze blowing through the curtains--the breeze that beckons a young boy to the merriment in the barn.

"Full moon shinin', shinin' big and bright,
Pushin' back shadows, holdin' back the night.
Not a thing stirrin', quiet as could be,
Just the whisper of the leaves on the
Cottowood tree....

...when the night owl said,
Come a little closer...
Come a little closer...
Listen to the night...
There's magic in the air...

A little skinny boy lies in his bed. The night owl is calling. Up he springs to look out the window and spies in the moonlight the scarecrow and all of the animals, both of the farm and the woods beginning to gather at the family barn. There is most certainly magic a music in the air!

The animals gather as the little skinny boy leaves his bed to join them. The barn dance has started!

What an enchanting book this one is. The entire work is written in rhyme, a rhyme which is extremely catchy, soothing and rather mystical in a country sort of way all in the same. The animals, led by the fiddle playing scarecrow who is also the "caller" leads the various critters (and the little boy) through a wonderful night of country entertainment.

The illustrations by Ted Rand are as beautiful as the masterful text, one enhancing the other as the reader is drawn in closer and closer to the whimsical story.

This is a wonderful group read. The kids get into the rhyme as does the reader. It is also a wonderful one on one read at bedtime.

I cannot remember when I have had such pleasure in reading a children's book to groups of children. This one is at the top of my list I use when reading to the little one. It is peaceful while at the same time has the ability to leave the kids asking for more.


This was written in 1986 and is getting more and more difficult to find. I would highly recommend you get a copy of this one fore your collection while the getting is still good. This is one of those books that will be read over and over again until you wear the thing out.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

I enjoy this story to share with my younger students (K-2) as they enjoy the rhyming text and the illustrations. It opens the door to introduce early dance steps in the style of a "barn dance" in class, which is always fun! The scarecrow and the full moon quietly lends this story to a nice October timing without being directly connected to Halloween (for holiday-sensitive schools!).

What a luminous, sophisticated, and loving book! I mentor first graders and there are many books on their to-do lists and I'm so glad to have stumbled across this one. My student, Angel, an inner city Hispanic, has no exposure to the hoedown culture but we enjoyed reading this so much. First, the illustrations are luminous. The navy blue night against various shades of gold and bright as the nighttime frolicking progresses provides a glorious backdrop to the night's activities. The plot progresses, perfectly and poetically, as a boy becomes engrossed in the nighttime activities and makes his way furtively back to his room at sunrise. The verse is much more sophisticated than 1st graders would normally take on; however the rhythm and the poetry add to the development of the plot and force the young reader into complete suspension of belief, focussing not so much on individual words but on the impression that a collection of words imparts. It was very exciting for me as a mentor to see how engrossing this tale was, and how a single book can open a world to a student. The culmination was the dedication on the last page. If you get the book you will realize how special it is.

"Barn Dance" is a read-aloud book, made for uniting reader and listener. When we first discovered it in out family, I was reading it to my two oldest grandsons--then three and six. Their mother, an elementary school teacher, began to share it with them in my absence; but they shouted, "No! Mumby reads that to us." They are now twenty-two and twenty-five; but we are still bonded, thanks to this wonderful book. (And, yes, they are still both Skinny Kids)