Module 2- June 13-19 Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman

                           Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman



Summary:
Song and Dance Man is a book that let's Grandpa show off  his dance skills to the grandkids.  They all have a great time as they follow Grandpa up to the attic for a song and dance!


Read it Again?
This is a good book to read again.  It makes all the kids laugh and is fun to get up and dance during the book.  It is a good way to explain how things have changed and kids today have a different way of life than what their grandparents had.  It's a good book to teach changes in social studies.


Library Use:
This book would be great to read and incorporate into the library curriculum when classes visit as a social studies lesson on grandparents and families for the younger grades.

Reviews:

School Library Journal 1/1/1989

PreS-Gr 2 Gammell's animated, crisp, colored pencil line drawings enhance this story of Grandpa, who was famous for his vaudeville song and dance. Clever details of his and his grandchildrens' personalities are consciously delineated as he now performs on his attic stage. The shadow and the performer, transformed by his art, complement the text tenderly. The spirit of song and dance are reflected in the careful placement of drawings and text; five times they stretch voluminously across double-page spreads, although the text is always legible. It is also poetic at times. The accurate depiction of old age and the magic of the theater rhythmically combine like a dance with a solid beginning, middle, and end. It offers enchantment for children and for the person of any age who reads it to them. In its entirety, this glimpse into a unique, artistic personality offers a sweet reminder of the joy in the diversity of people, much like Blos' memorable Old Henry (Morrow, 1987). In boldness, realism, and linear strength, the illustrations are reminiscent of Steig's Amos and Boris (Farrar, 1971), which is also about individuality and acceptance. However, the persistence of memory and the acceptance of individuality are sophisticated concepts. The book's only weakness is that it may too often be set aside by adults looking for something easier to digest. Gratia Banta, Germantown Public Library, Dayton, Ohio

Booklist 10/1/1988 Ages 5-8. 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, most importantly, 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. As the enthralled children watch, Grandpa sings, pulls a silver dollar out of one child's hair, and tells jokes. For a grand finale, he performs a tap dance that has him leaping in the air, the children's applause ringing in his ears. Gammell captures all the story's inherent joie de vivre with color pencil renderings that fairly 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. Grandpa says he wouldn't trade a million good old days for those he spends with his grandchildren, but the way he glances up the attic stairs gives a hint of the depth of his feelings. Utterly original. IC.

References:
www.mackin.com
www.titlewave.com


Bibliography:

Ackerman, K. (1988). Song and dance man. New York: Alfred K. Knopf