Song and Dance Man (Dragonfly Books) [Paperback]

Karen Ackerman (Author), Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Dragonfly Books

Illus. in full color. "In this affectionate story, three children follow their grandfather up to the attic, where he pulls out his old bowler hat, gold-tipped cane, and his tap shoes. Grandpa once danced on the vaudeville stage, and as he glides across the floor, the children can see what it was like to be a song and dance man. Gammell captures all the story's inherent joie de vivre with color pencil renderings that leap off the pages. Bespectacled, enthusiastic Grandpa clearly exudes the message that you're only as old as you feel, but the children respond--as will readers--to the nostalgia of the moment. Utterly original."--(starred) Booklist.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Once a song and dance man, Grandpa reclaims his youth and profession before the delighted eyes of his three grandchildren one afternoon. He simply cannot resist the urge to dress up in clothes left over from his vaudeville days--complete with top hat and gold-headed cane--and to perform tricks, play banjo and tell jokes. He taps, twirls and laughs himself to tears on a thrown-together stage in his attic. Artist Stephen Gammell takes full advantage of lamplight to render Grandpa in shadow and silhouette, trivializing the concept of age and creating a feeling of intense nostalgia. Related from the point of view of the children, the text in Song and Dance Man is soft and understated, and Gammell's artistry is superb. The book won the Caldecott Medal in 1989. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In this Caldecott winner, Grandpa relives his vaudeville days for an adoring audience--his grandchildren. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dragonfly Books (January 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679819959
• ISBN-13: 978-0679819950
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.1 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #217,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Arts & Music > Performing Arts > Dance
  • #67 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Arts & Music > Performing Arts > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hear the beat of dancing feet, August 3, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Song and Dance Man (Dragonfly Books) (Paperback)

I think there must be a whole old-people-dancing picture book genre out there. Tons of these books appear on the market every year and they bring in a steady profit time and time again. Perhaps the most successful of these (which is to say, it won an award) is Karen Ackerman's charming, "Song and Dance Man". A simple tale of a grandfather puttin' on a show for his grandchildren, the book is a touching tribute to the Vaudeville kings and queens of yore.

Three bright eyed urchins appear at their grandfather's door one day, to his evident delight. Without further ado he leads them up into the house's attic where he keeps a trunk of old treasures. It takes a little sifting and shifting to find exactly what he needs, but soon Grandpa's old taps are on his feet and the lamps in the attic become the spotlights of a makeshift stage. Grandpa begins with a shuffle footed tap solo then moves on to banjo playing/singing, magic tricks, and awful old jokes. The night's entertainment is topped off with a grand finale of tapping and dancing. The crowd (of three) goes wild and everything is put away again. "But as he turns off the attic light, Grandpa glances back up the stairs, and we wonder how much he really misses that time on the vaudeville stage, when he was a song and dance man".

You've probably seen illustrations by Minnesota based artist Stephen Gammell before and just didn't know it. They've a kind of controlled insanity, though this book is not half as violent to the senses as his truly disturbing "Old Black Fly". Instead, this story comes off as merely messy, but with a vibrant undertone. The colors in the pictures are often of a sweet rainbow filled spectrum. Grandpa's nose, a permanent red, sits prominently on his kind face. I think the real joy of this book is that you know the main character is having the time of his life. He's truly enjoying reliving his days as a performer, a fact drilled home by the book's wistful final sentence. Thumbs up to author Karen Ackerman too for effectively creating such a great grandpa character. Who wouldn't want a talented guy like this in their family?

For a sweet intergenerational tale that doesn't focus (for a change) on wise advice or dealing with death, this book takes the cake. When you read a book that takes as much joy out of life as this one does, you know you're gonna find yourself going back to it again and again. Sentimental in only the best sense of the word.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Song and Dance Man, July 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Song and Dance Man (Library Binding)

This delightful book written by Karen Ackerman depicts a fun and loving relationship between a grandfather and his grandchildren. The children are delighted with their grandfather's antics and his tales of a time long ago when he was young, dancing on the vaudeville stage. The book depicts the grandfather as an energetic and vivacious elderly person and a joy for his grandchildren. Young children will love the vibrant and colorful llustrations by Stephen Gammell which add a sense of excitement and reality to the story.

Note to teachers: This book can be used in a unit pertaining to family and would be an excellent source for teaching another area of diversity, the elderly.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Song and Dance Man, April 17, 2002

By 

Crystal-Carrie Griffiths (Kalamazoo, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Song and Dance Man (Dragonfly Books) (Paperback)

Song and Dance Man was about two grandchildren and their grandpa who used to be a song and dance man on the vaudeville stage. He takes the children up to the attic and shows them some of his old dances and costumes. He performs for them and the children feel just as if they were at the vaudeville stage watching this magnificent dance. This book shows the close relationship between grandparents and there grandchildren and is a wonderful book for children to read.