Uncle's inspired playing of the fiddle causes sleepy family members to pick up other instruments and join him, while the neighbors come to join the celebration.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Gray (My Mama Had a Dancing Heart) hits all the right notes with this toe-tapping tale. When family members settle down to relax at the end of a long day, they all feel the same way: "Tired." But as soon as Uncle reaches for his fiddle the mood changes. As Uncle plays ("Zee zee/ Saw saw/ Ziggle, ziggle, zang"), Grandma, Grandpa, Mama and others grab their own instruments (guitar, mouth harp, washboard, etc.) and join in the mountain-style jam session. Before long, "folks down in the hollow" make their way to the house for a dance-filled jamboree. Gray's text is equal parts raucous and cozy, conveying rhythm and sound through fun-to-say onomatopoeic words. The family's attitude adjustment in the face of homespun tunes lightly testifies to the positive effects of music. Bloom (Like Jake and Me) offers readers a down-home look at the sunny side of life in Appalachia. His pale colored-pencil compositions, often tinged with soft browns and pinks, are set on airy expanses of white, emphasizing the characters and their movements. The slightly scraggly countryside and the people, with their bright, elongated faces, their overalls and worn, lace-up boots, all suggest a setting ruled by a strong sense of camaraderie. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-A swinging hymn to life. Although a family is tired at the end of a long day, "Grandpa's feet began to tap./Grandma's hands began to clap./Brown Dog lifted floppy ears./Ziggle, ziggle, zang..." and the impromptu party is on. Neighbors are lured by the sounds: "The music floated out the door/to folks down in the hollow,/where Homer Jenkins started humming/as he headed up the hill." Soon, everyone, including the young narrator, is dancing. "Hand in hand,/we circled round/until the music/spindled down-/Zing-a-zingle zing." Bloom's soft colored-pencil drawings perfectly match the mountain setting and, like the folks they portray, teem with life. This book is as irresistible as Uncle's fiddle tunes, and begs to be read aloud.
Kathleen Whalin, Greenwich Country Day School, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Kathleen Whalin, Greenwich Country Day School, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Toe-tapping Good Time,
This review is from: When Uncle Took the Fiddle (Hardcover)
This book is an extremely fun way to introduce how music can touch us all. The words and format are conducive to getting up and dancing right along with the characters in the book. I read this story to a group of pre-schoolers and they had a wonderful time making the instumental noises and dancing a jig. It was great fun!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Toe Tapping Good Time,
By
This review is from: When Uncle Took the Fiddle (Hardcover)
This book is fabulously fun to read with lyrical, toe-tapping rhymes and fanciful illustrations. Kids will enjoy every moment of this book and may even find themselves tapping their toes to the cadence of the story. This book would be a fabulous addition to any home library.DeeDee Fox, author and illustrator, The Ruby Red Slippers
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Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
"Tired," said Grandpa as he settled in his chair. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Brown Dog New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
"Tired," said Grandpa as he settled in his chair. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Brown Dog New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 1
book:
1
book
cites this book:
- One Yellow Daffodil: A Hanukkah Story by David A. Adler in Back Flap
- Peak with Books: An Early Childhood Resource for Balanced Literacy by Marjorie R. Nelsen on page 197, and Back Matter
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