Customer Reviews

Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles - Think of That! (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As Leo and Diane Dillon tell the reader in their illuminating Afterword: "Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949) is know as the greatest tap dancer of all time. His fame has reached mythic proportions. He had charm and charisma and, it was said "He talked with his feet." His rhythms were so intricate and fast it was impossible for other dancers to repeat some of them..." The Dillon's introduce a whole new generation to the sheer joy of Mr Bojangles, a dancer who made "art with his feet" in this deceptively simple and creative picture book biographical sketch. Their short rhyming text with its engaging and repetitive "Rap a tap tap-think of that!" is filled with rhythm and motion. But it's their clever, bold, bright, and elegant illustrations that make this book stand out and sparkle, and youngsters will feel the passion and energy with each page turn as they watch Bojangles almost dance off the pages. Perfect for little ones 3-7, Rap A Tap Tap is a playful and captivating, interactive celebration of both Bill Robinson and tap dance...Rap a tap tap-think of that!

Boasting two Caldecott Medals, the Society of Guild Illustrators' Gold Medal, three Coretta Scott King Awards, four "Boston Globe-Horn Book" Awards, three "New York Times" Best Illustrated Book Awards, the NAACP Image Award, and honorary doctorates from Parsons ("make it work!") School of Design, Leo and Diane Dillon have an impressive collective vita, as well as enough honors to re-write "The 12 Days of Christmas" as a list of their multiple wards and honors.

Fine and good, what have they done for us lately?

Well, in 2002, they captured another King Award with the graphic stylings, and rhythmic narration of "Rap A Tap Tap," their kids' story about famed tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson." Leave the bittersweet side of the story to the Sammy Davis, Jr. song; this Bojangles is a jovial dandy--wearing a fancy suit or tuxedo, bow tie, boutonniere, top hat, a cane, and one great big Pied Piper of a smile. The Dillons remove him from movie studios and dance halls, focusing mainly on Bojangles the street dancer, entertaining crowds of ordinary people wherever he found them. Thus, we see Bojangles' moves in a variety of settings: On the street, in a park, a bus stop, a market by an elevated train, in front of a church, inside a movie theater and by a fancy hotel. The Dillons capture the tension and dramatic flair of his entire body, his high stepping moves, and especially his active legwork, the latter through multiple images suggesting movement.

While this is not a biography of Bojangles (the only real reference is an informative, albeit necessarily sanitized four-paragraph afterwards), the Dillons largely chose not to set the book with a particular era. How much more interesting it would have been to see more images of the 20's and 30's, or Bojangles in a theater or on a movie set. The bold graphic arts style sets Bojangles' dancing apart from the colorful poster-like backgrounds, but the illustrations only hint at what made him great. You feel the joyous emotions of Bojangles and his fans much more than see his famous footwork and iconic routines. This isn't a huge problem, but it may limit the RAP A TAP TAP to a somewhat younger audience.

Still, there's an undeniable power to the uncluttered illustrations, they rely heavily on big basic shapes, and the interaction of the joyful crowds and the always-giving Bojangles. Except for one clinking line mentioned by a reviewer above ("He briefly paused to pat an old cat') the words sound wonderful, alternating smooth alliteration with a dance=matched syncopated beat. The oversized pages, quality paper, and excellent color reproduction make this a keeper, befitting the transcendent fame of its subject.

Bojangles, a historical tapper is the center of this book. Told in rhythmic rhymes, the story takes you with Bojangles as he taps throughout his city. A great book to read in the music classroom. Your students can chant with you or just keep the steady beat with their tappin' feet! Excellent choice!

This story is another great example of dreams coming true. Regardless of your skin color, gender, social status or even the economic status of where you live. Rap a Tap Tap is about an African American entertainer named Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who during the great depression was a man from New York sharing his talents with anyone who would listen and watch his miraculous tap dancing moves at local clubs where he performed. This book illustrates different shades of skin color and the drawings of the different scenes around the streets of New York give you a true sense of the culture in the town. The rhythmic rhymes are perfect for younger age's female or male children and allow them to sing along. The way they layered the illustrations on his feet give you a sense of his performance techniques and make his feet come to life on paper. This story makes you want to know him and you can feel the warmth of his personality and the love people truly had for him.

Delightful book! We make sure that our child's reading is illustrated with a variety of ethinicities (not every single book, but in his library/reading material there is overall representative mix) and I am happy to say that this one contains a nice mixture and its lead character is, of course, African American. Well illustrated. Not as realistic as I usually like books to be but very clear in its representations but with enough blurring of reality to allow for the imagination to almost see him dance on the pages. My son loves this book! It is usually the first or second at bed time as he "tap dances" all the way through the story!

There is one hestitation in my recommendation. About half way through the book the lines are written, "He danced through a place people called the skids...(showing very poor neighborhood and what appear to be homeless people, as well as a church and pastor, all of which are dark skinned)...He danced through crowds of laughing kids...(which does include one light skinned girl). I choose to change these lines to "he danced through a place called Harlem...He danced through crowds of laughing children". Re the later I prefer the term children over kids for many reasons and it was already not going to rhyme due to changing the former. I changed the skids to Harlem because rather than introducing a negative concept (son is only 3 I don't think he really needs to know about skids or homeless people yet if it is in my power to protect him and provide for him) to a historically acurate concept of dance and arts coming from Harlem to the rest of American culture in the 20's. I just sloughed off a question re people standing around a fire in a barrel as enjoying themselves out of doors together. We go to community campfires sponser by the parks department so he does have a frame of reference for this.

Anyway, I still highly recommend this book. We have also watched Bojangles videos on YouTube to further cement my son's knowledge, respect and enjoyment of this marvelous artist!

This is a great book, from a wonderful seller. The shipping was quick; the price was great. I gave it as a gift to a friend's son; he's an avid tap dancer. I think that he really appreciated it.

One of our favorite children's books. Illustrations are outstanding, text is clever. Really a wonderful book. Highly recommended!

This book was one that any age could enjoy. It showed how a child can get his or her dream fulfilled, as Bojangles dream of becoming a tap dancer became reality at a very young age. Also, the illustrations are great, and they add to Bojangles journey. This book also shows the race barrier being broken, as Bojangles who is black, starts working in the white theatres and makes a lot of money doing it. Overall, this book was very well done.

We checked this book out from the library and haven't taken it back now for months. We are going to purchase it today so that someone else can borrow it too. My 2 year old son absolutley loves this book! He is very particular and asks for certain books to be read and this one gets read at least once a day. He remembers the story line & loves to say "Rap A Tap Tap" at the appropriate times. The illustrations are wonderful and I am so glad we found such a beautiful book.