Customer Reviews

Grandfather's Dance (Sarah, Plain and Tall Saga)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All right, class. Altogether now. How does one go about getting kids interested in historical fiction? Any ideas? I heard somebody mentioning starting the kids on that kind of thing early on. Very good! It's an easy enough task to read historical picture books to children before they can read on their own, certainly. Just load your bookshelves with some Patricia Polacco, some Patricia McKissack, and maybe a dash of Allan Say for good measure. The minute the children want to read their own books, however, you may find filling their historical fiction needs a bit trickier. If it isn't related to "The Time Warp Trio", parents often find their bookshelves sadly lacking in that whole early chapter book historical fiction genre. So what author exists to rescue you from this dire plight? Who else but Patricia MacLachlan, author of "Sarah, Plain and Tall"! The series that begin with this pleasantly slim novel has added yet another title to its mix. "Grandfather's Dance" follows the Witting family's adventures as everyone prepares for Anna, narrator of the first book, and her wedding.

Cassie is delighted. Her older sister Anna is getting married and everything in the home is far more exciting and unusual as a result. Usually Anna lives quietly with just her mother and father, her younger brother Jack, and their grandfather alongside the prairie. Now, however, three aunts are coming to stay, to say nothing of an uncle and a host of other relatives for the festivities. Alongside this large story comes the small tale of Jack's love for his grandfather and Cassie's love for the both of them. Grandfather knows that his time is coming soon, and when at last he dies Cassie must help Jack through his grief into acceptance. It will mean remembering the good things and accepting that sometimes people have to die. Fortunately for everyone, there are always our memories to help us cope.

For kids that may still be a bit too young for Laura Ingalls Wilder, or Louise Erdrich's "Birchbark House", MacLachlan's slim novels offer a tantalizing glimpse into another time and place without ever sacrificing keen writing or gripping storytelling in the interim. This is a rare and wonderful thing to find in any author, let alone one of early chapter books. "Grandfather's Dance" touches on new, slightly darker territory than its predecessors. For some children, this may be the first book they read that deals with a beloved relative's death. In this case, Grandfather's demise comes as only the slightest of shocks. MacLachlan knows how to ease a young reader into accepting this occurrence without sacrificing her story in the process.

Alongside the parallel storylines of Anna's wedding preparations and the relationship of Jack and his grandfather is a rather unique and interesting series of daydreams on Cassie's part. Early in the book the young girl comments that she didn't love anyone for marrying, except possibly the family dog. Then, spotted throughout the book, are small references to this marriage of girl and pup. "My husband dog licks my cheek and whispers, 'You have never been more beautiful. You're more beautiful than a pot roast'." This eventually culminates with a mock wedding between Cassie and her dog Nick, with her grandfather there to see it. As he himself points out, he may never make it to her real wedding, but he's happy to oversee this pretend one in the meantime. It's bizarre but oddly lovely and it adds weight to a narrative that could well have felt too insubstantial without it.

I know it's not this series's style, but I did find myself wishing that there had been small pencil drawings of some of the images in this book. Her aunt's flute. The wedding veil. The new car. Just little things that might have made the story that much more interesting and real. MacLachlan doesn't need illustrations, of course. Her writing stands up for itself. But sometimes it's nice for those kids who rely heavily on visual images to have something small to grasp onto.

Still, this quibble isn't even hardly worth mentioning. To tell it plain, the best way to describe "Grandfather's Dance" is to simply say, "Patricia MacLachlan has done it again", and to leave it at that. This is a more than worthy follow-up to the other books in the Witting series, and a delightful addition to any library or personal collection. Best of all, you needn't have read the previous books to get a lot out of this one. It would help, but it's certainly not a requirement. A wonderful tidy book.

Cassie Witting has a little brother named John Jacob Witting, but everyone calls him "Jack," and he calls himself "Doggie." In the months before a big wedding, Cassie watches the relationship between her little brother and their grandfather. She is alternately amused and annoyed by Jack's constant aping of Grandfather's speech and movements. So is Grandfather.

As the wedding draws near and relatives begin to arrive, everyone is caught up in the excitement. But Cassie is an observant youngster and records things about her brother and grandfather. She notices Grandfather's temper growing shorter, even as his love grows larger. Despite what she notes, Cassie is still a child, and there are things she isn't capable of seeing until too late.

In this sweet closing to a beloved series, a family's turning point takes place before a young girl's innocent eyes. Rather than dwelling on the sadness of a special person's passing, this story is a celebration of all he was to his family. This sharing of endearment and loss is lovingly written in a way fans of the series will cherish. Its gentle treatment of death will be especially soothing to children who have lost grandparents. The sadness really can be tempered by the wonderful memories created between family members.

Young, or not-so-young, fans of the "Sarah Plain and Tall" series will find a great deal to love about this book. It earns its place next to its predecessors.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
8/23/2006

4½-BALLOONS for WUAT Kids!; 5-STARS for Amazon

I really loved this book. As an adult, I was reminded of what it was like growing up on a farm. I loved the unique characters who were very well developed. The story was mostly obvious but could still weave the feelings of loss and love in a way that made you come out feeling filled with good feelings.

Just as spring begins on the prairie, young Cassie Witting's life is about to change. Cassie's older sister, Anna, is getting married. This event is the stimulus for a flurry of activity. In addition to wedding preparations, the Witting family must also get ready to receive family from back east, her mama's brother William and a collection of sisters referred to as "the aunts." Even her brother Caleb will return from school for the event. Cassie is excited about her sister's wedding. She contemplates what it might be like to get married one day and resolves that her dog would be the perfect husband. In the midst of all the arrangements and family reunions, Cassie notices that Grandfather has become short tempered. Her younger brother Jack (who refers to himself as "Doggie") loves Grandfather better than anyone else. This is evident by the way Jack imitates his Grandfather's every move. Cassie doesn't understand the significance of Grandfather's request to have Cassie dress up and have a pretend wedding so that he can attend. Cassie eventually realizes the reason for Grandfather's strange behavior.

Reading this book, one is privy to tender family moments, sharing both happy and difficult times. MacLachlan uses a string of symbols to signal the changes the family is experiencing. Among the symbols are the new family car, Sarah's wedding veil, and Grandfather's black hat. The reader recognizes the family's sense of togetherness. This gives them the strength they need to weather the changing seasons of their own lives and the "life" of the Witting family.

Although part of a collection of stories beginning with Sarah, Plain and Tall, the reader need not have read previous books to appreciate this touching final installment in the collection. Cassie's narration imparts enough information from the other books that Grandfather's Dance easily stands alone. The book uses language that is simple enough for young readers, but the theme of the book makes it an enjoyable read for all.

Grandfather's Dance brings back all the familiar characters from the other books in the series for Anna's wedding day, and introduces us to the new baby Jack - who is old enough now to follow his "Boppa" (Grandfather) everywhere he goes.

A good storyline and a nice wrap-up to the series, though the writing here is not as strong as in previous books in the series. Fans will eat it up, though, and emotionally, this book packs a powerful punch. Recommended.

This book is a wonderful read-aloud family book. It could stand alone, but is best read in series of "Sarah, Plain and Tall" to get the full effect of family relationships.

My daughter loves the Sarah, Plain and Tall books. She has all 5 now, and reads them over and over. They are well-written historical fiction that hold the interest of young readers. I can honestly say that this is the first series of books that my daughter can't put down. She has had passing interest in Magic Treehouse, Fairies, Junie B. and English Roses, but none have grabbed her like the Sarah books. Highly recommended!

The book was good and I am reading the series of Sarah Plain and Tall thru Grand Father's Dance to Skylak. I enjoy the author and I read Word After Word After Word. Excellent !

We have really enjoyed this whole series. Grandfather's Dance is a wonderful ending. Too bad it had to end. We would like it to go on and on. Great springboard for discussion on relationships.

Historical fiction at its finest, this is the concluding story to the series of books which began on the prairie of America's mid-west with 'Sarah, Plain and Tall.' Ideal for readers who are ready for beginning chapter books, the theme, story, characters, and the simple but effective dialog between the characters are weighty enough to satisfy older readers. Narrated by Cassie, an observant fourth grader who keeps a journal (journal entries are included in the story), the family prepares for a happy wedding, including the probably once-in-a-lifetime visit from three out-of-town aunts from Maine. The charm of the story is the relationship between Grandfather and Jack, just a toddler beginning to speak, who complements Grandfather perfectly with his imitations of the old man. Between the two of them, they share a cantankerous attitude that is highly amusing. It's a 'wet-hankie book', for even before the aunts depart for Maine, there will be a funeral, but oh, what a lovely story in between! The book stands very well on it's own, but will definitely encourage readers to scope out the previous stories.