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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In a departure from their recognizable illustration style, the versatile husband-and-wife team here uses a striking gouache painting technique that pays homage to Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas to craft an exuberant picture-book tribute to African-American tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949). Brief, rhyming text introduces the tall, lean and dapper man who "danced in the street" and "made art with his feet." In keeping with tapdancing tradition, each line of verse returns to a rhythmic refrain ("Rap a tap tap think of that!"). The deceptively simple text conveys the complexities of the era: "He danced past doors; some were open, some closed" accompanies a montage of entryways, with some people welcoming Robinson, but a white man closing his door. On the other hand "folks in fancy clothes" depicts whites and blacks together outside a show. Most spreads exude the everyday joys of a bustling city neighborhood, and the bouncy beat will hold the attention of even youngest readers. A short biographical note appears at the end of the book. The cubed-looking apartment buildings, an elevated/subway train, store fronts and traffic lights suggest Manhattan (eagle-eye readers will notice an obscured sign for 125th Street), but the scenes are general enough to lend the art a universal, timeless feel. The Dillons cleverly depict Robinson's fast-flying feet with varying shades of the same color around his legs, creating a sense of movement with a shadow/silhouette effect. The graceful figure he cuts on the page is a hoofer's delight. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
reSchool-Grade 2-Legendary African-American tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949) is the subject of this picture book. Graphically, the volume is a joy and would work well in a group setting. The left side of each spread contains an outdoor scene in which people are captivated by the performer's dancing: exuberant children, dressed-to-the-nines adults, the ragged homeless. Where the boldly painted, flat images overlap, the colors change, as if the foreground objects were transparent. Continuing this approach, the dancer is rendered in brown, gray, or black on the right, sporting multiple appendages-that is, the parts of his body that are still "moving" appear in lighter shades behind or on top of the more deeply hued arms and legs. There is a sense of progressive motion until the climax, when Bojangles moves across the entire white field, a series of intersecting pale gray to black forms, finally bowing, top hat in hand. The simple, rhymed text is less inspired, sometimes a bit forced: "His feet fairly flew as he tipped his hat.- He briefly paused to pat an old cat." Each short sentence is followed by the refrain, "Rap a tap tap-think of that!" While there is call-and-response potential, it all gets a bit tedious. An afterword gives a bit more information about Robinson. This is a visually interesting introduction to a performer about whom little is written for children.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
In a departure from their recognizable illustration style, the versatile husband-and-wife team here uses a striking gouache painting technique that pays homage to Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas to craft an exuberant picture-book tribute to African-American tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949). Brief, rhyming text introduces the tall, lean and dapper man who "danced in the street" and "made art with his feet." In keeping with tapdancing tradition, each line of verse returns to a rhythmic refrain ("Rap a tap tap think of that!"). The deceptively simple text conveys the complexities of the era: "He danced past doors; some were open, some closed" accompanies a montage of entryways, with some people welcoming Robinson, but a white man closing his door. On the other hand "folks in fancy clothes" depicts whites and blacks together outside a show. Most spreads exude the everyday joys of a bustling city neighborhood, and the bouncy beat will hold the attention of even youngest readers. A short biographical note appears at the end of the book. The cubed-looking apartment buildings, an elevated/subway train, store fronts and traffic lights suggest Manhattan (eagle-eye readers will notice an obscured sign for 125th Street), but the scenes are general enough to lend the art a universal, timeless feel. The Dillons cleverly depict Robinson's fast-flying feet with varying shades of the same color around his legs, creating a sense of movement with a shadow/silhouette effect. The graceful figure he cuts on the page is a hoofer's delight. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
reSchool-Grade 2-Legendary African-American tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949) is the subject of this picture book. Graphically, the volume is a joy and would work well in a group setting. The left side of each spread contains an outdoor scene in which people are captivated by the performer's dancing: exuberant children, dressed-to-the-nines adults, the ragged homeless. Where the boldly painted, flat images overlap, the colors change, as if the foreground objects were transparent. Continuing this approach, the dancer is rendered in brown, gray, or black on the right, sporting multiple appendages-that is, the parts of his body that are still "moving" appear in lighter shades behind or on top of the more deeply hued arms and legs. There is a sense of progressive motion until the climax, when Bojangles moves across the entire white field, a series of intersecting pale gray to black forms, finally bowing, top hat in hand. The simple, rhymed text is less inspired, sometimes a bit forced: "His feet fairly flew as he tipped his hat.- He briefly paused to pat an old cat." Each short sentence is followed by the refrain, "Rap a tap tap-think of that!" While there is call-and-response potential, it all gets a bit tedious. An afterword gives a bit more information about Robinson. This is a visually interesting introduction to a performer about whom little is written for children.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
Product Details
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