Barn Dance! (Reading Rainbow) [Paperback]

Bill Martin Jr. (Author), John Archambault (Author), Ted Rand (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1988 | Age Range: 3 - 5 years | Series: Reading Rainbow

In an old farmhouse, bathed in the light of a full moon, a young boy creeps to his bedroom window and looks outside. Was that a voice he just heard, or the hooting of an owl? There it is again:

Come a little closer...
Come a little closer...
Listen to the night...
There's music in the air...

Beckoned by the voice, the boy sneaks downstairs, out the door, and walks toward the barn. As he gets closer he hears the sweet sound of a country fiddler and the rhythmic thumping of dancing feet. But who could possibly be having a barn dance in the middle of the night?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An ordinary evening becomes a festival of foot-stompin' good fun when neighbors gather at a barn dance. A Reading Rainbow selection. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3 With a rhythmic cadence Martin and Archambault build their story from a quiet moonlit night when ``there's magic in the air'' to a very special foot stompin' party and back again. On this eerie night everyone is asleep except for the ``skinny kid with questions in his head.'' With him readers sneak out to the barn and hide just in time to see all the farm animals kick up their heels to the scarecrow's fiddle music. While the words are a delight to hear (albeit it's a bit hard to get the tongue around on some lines), Rand's pictures make the story come alive. The two-page spreads range from the barn standing ghost-like in the full moonlight to the colorful interior of the barn, where the figures seem to be in perpetual motion. An engaging blend of words and pictures to set both the mind and eye dancing. Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 5 years
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); Reprint edition (September 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805007997
• ISBN-13: 978-0805007992
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 9.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars As much fun to read aloud as it is to hear August 15, 2000

By K. Bennett VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Barn Dance is a very fun book to read for kids of all ages. June 4, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LET YOUR HAIR DOWN AND ENJOY THE HOE-DOWN! December 10, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

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!!