Song and Dance Man

A trio of children go to visit their grandfather, who was a vaudeville performer in his youth. Their grandfather laments the passing of the "song and dance" days, but he still pulls out all his old vaudeville gear and puts on a one man variety show for his grandchildren. The children are genuinely delighted by their grandfather's performance, and he is equally pleased to be able to share a piece of his personal history with his descendants. Though this story has a sort of melancholy nostalgia to it, I think that ultimately what the grandfather was missing was performing for an audience, so that in addition to passing along memories of his performance to his grandchildren, he was also able to realize that he didn't necessarily miss show more performing for a large audience, just a grateful one. show less

This 1989 Caldecott medal book is a sheer delight.

When his grandchildren visit, they prod their grandfather to go into the attic and find his shoes, hat and cane and to put on a show.

As a vaudeville tap dancer, grandpa has many wonderful memories.

Captivating the children, who respectfully sit and watch the lovely show, all deserve a round of applause -- the children for loving their grandpa so much that they are interested in his previous life, and good ole grandpa who dims the lights, dons the top hat and clicks his way into a special place in their hearts.

I really liked this book due to the illustrations, the colors were bright, and it looks like someone drew the pictures with color pencil. I really loved how the colors made the story feel happy. This book is about three grand-kids visiting their grandfather. He tells them about how he used to be a performer and then brings them to the attic to show them. He shows them how he used to dance and shows them magic tricks. This was cute book about a grandfather who loves the good old day and his grand-kids.

I loved this book, I especially liked how well the characters were described and developed, most specifically the grandfather. For example, "We forget that it's Grandpa dancing, and all we can hear is the silvery tap of two feet, and all we can see is a song and dance man gliding across a vaudeville stage," the words and pictures really showed how much the grandfather loved song and dance as well as how much he loved his grandchildren and making them smile. I also really liked the language in this book. The writing was clear and everything was very descriptive and used a lot of similes and metaphors. For example, "His voice is as round and strong as a canyon echo, and his cheeks get rose as he sings, "Yankee Doodle Boy,"" which made the show more book really enjoyable. I think the main idea of this story was the relationship and love between family members. show less

I personally loved this book for the illustration usage throughout the story and the development of the grandpa character in this story. Told from the grandchildren's point of view, the text is extremely charming and demonstrates a true admiration for the older generation. The soft, colored-pencil drawings explode with affection and nostalgia across each page and do the grandpa's exciting youth justice with the slashes of color and bold gestures in each drawing.This story is sure to enlarge the most devout television-watcher's idea of entertainment to think more about they types of experiences they will want to look back on and feel satisfaction for a life well lived. The overall message of the story, you're only as old as you allow show more yourself to feel, can hit home for readers of any age to take advantage of the opportunities life allows you to grasp. show less

The grandchildren love visiting their Grandpa, who regales them with stories of when he was a “song and dance man” in Vaudeville. Sometimes he takes them up to the attic, where he has an old banjo and a trunk full of props: hats, feathers, a cane, vests, magic tricks, and, most importantly, his shiny tap shoes. And then he performs for them, singing and dancing and doing magic tricks that delight them all.

This is just a lovely story of multi-generational relationships. We learn a little bit about Vaudeville, and experience the joy of sharing our stories.

Stephen Gammell’s illustrations won the Caldecott Medal. I particularly love the expressions on the faces of the children and Grandpa – they are full of joy and love for one show more another. show less

Summary:
Song and Dance Man is the story of a grandfather who used to be an entertainer (song and dance man) in his younger years on the vaudeville stage. When his three grandchildren come to visit, he turns off the television and takes them on an adventure in the attic. He opens up all of his old dusty trunks and breaks out his old dancing shoes, top hats and vests. The children play dress up with his old clothes while he performs his old tricks, dances and music on a make believe center stage. He pretends he’s back in the ‘good old days’ when he once was the song and dance man of his time. He gives the children a fun and light hearted performance and then packs everything back away for next time. The story finally ends with the show more grandfather giving his grandchildren a big hug and telling them he wouldn’t trade those ‘good old days’ for the days he gets to spend with them.

Comments (arguments/opinions):
This Caldecott Medal winner truly is a great story about the love family can have for one another. It’s such a great story that shows children how inspiring and wonderful their grandparents can be. I feel like a lot of the time children don’t realize that their grandparents have lived through and experienced so much and that they truly are amazing people. With its brightly colorful and extremely active illustrations, this book can make any child feel happy and warm hearted. I really liked this book because it’s fun and shows how truly amazing the relationships between grandchildren and their grandparents can be. I think it also opens a lot of doors for children to want to explore their grandparent’s lives more. After seeing that the grandfather, who is first portrayed sitting in front of the television, was actually once a great performer, might motivate children to ask their grandparents what they used to be when they were younger. I think this book can open doorways for family relationships to grow closer and become more meaningful. I also think children will be captivated by the wonderfully bright illustrations and exciting movement that is detailed throughout this story. show less