Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Song and Dance Man

Song and Dance Man
Song and Dance Man
Author: Karen Ackerman, Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)
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.
The Market's bargain prices are even better for Paperbackswap club members!
Retail Price: $15.95
Buy New (Hardcover): $12.79 (save 19%) or
Become a PBS member and pay $8.89+1 PBS book credit Help icon(save 44%)
ISBN-13: 9780394893303
ISBN-10: 0394893301
Publication Date: 1/14/2003
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 4

3.9 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
Read All 5 Book Reviews of "Song and Dance Man"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

annalovesbooks avatar reviewed Song and Dance Man on
ISBN 0590430092 - Only once before did I wish for a special sixth star... this one deserves at least that many. I read a lot, and a lot of kids' books. Among them, there are always books that are really good, even great, and those get 5 stars. Then there will come a book like Song and Dance Man and I almost regret doling out a 5 star review to other books that don't quite reach the same level as this one.

Three children visit their grandparents. Grandpa tells them, as he has before, about the good old days, when he was a song and dance man on the vaudeville stage. While Grandma makes dinner, Grandpa takes the children into the attic where he has a trunk full of old costumes and props. The children watch as their grandfather performs, tap dancing and telling corny old jokes that they've heard before but still make them laugh. When the show is over, the children applaud and Grandpa packs away his things... for next time. Grandpa assures the kids that he wouldn't trade a day with them for a million good old days.

The text, by Karen Ackerman is descriptive and draws you right into the story and, from there, right into Grandpa's past. This is a fantastic story, especially good for grandparents to read to little ones. Illustrator Stephen Gammell is one of those people whose work you come across now and then without knowing his name and he always seems to do a job appropriate to the story. Here, the illustrations are mostly bright and colorful, like many childrens' books, but Gammell still manages to work darker shades in where they belong (like in the attic). There's a feeling of motion in many of the images that captures everything from Grandpa's dancing to a group hug. Neither Ackerman's story nor Gammell's illustrations would be half as good, or even feel complete, without the other.

- AnnaLovesBooks
reviewed Song and Dance Man on + 209 more book reviews
Great story. Wonderful illustrations. This book was awarded the Caldecott Medal (for artwork) in 1989. You'll love it! It's all about Grandpa!
vprosser avatar reviewed Song and Dance Man on + 161 more book reviews
This book was awarded the 1989 Caldecott Medal.


Genres: