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3.89 of 5 stars
A sijo, a traditional Korean verse form, has a fixed number of stressed syllables and a humorous or ironic twist at the end. Like haiku, sijo are ... read full description

reviews

Jan 25, 2009
Kandace rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Linda Sue Park introduces the Korean form of poetry, sijo, in “Tap Dancing on the Roof.” Park explains that sijo has a fixed number of stressed syllables divided into three or six lines. Sijo is similar to haiku, except that it always has a surprise, unexpected twist or joke at the end. For example…

Long Division

This number gets a wall and a ceiling. Nice and comfy in there.
But a bunch of other numbers are about to disrupt the peace—
Bumping the wall, digging u More...
1 comment like (2 people liked it)
May 31, 2009
Luann rated it: 3 of 5 stars
This was fun! I had never heard of Sijo before, and Linda Sue Park gives a very nice introduction to it - both in her introduction and her author's note. She also gives a list of tips for writing your own sijo. I thought the illustrations were just okay. Some were cute, but nothing spectacular.

Sijo is similar to haiku with a syllabic structure, yet each line in the poem has its own purpose. The first line introduces the topic, the second develops the topic further, and the third More...
Nov 17, 2009
Bernice rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This wonderful poetry book is written in Sijo, a type of poem originating from Korea. A sijo is a fixed number of stressed syllables, usually divided into three or six lines. What a great activity for students! We so often teach students about Haikus, but rarely hear about Sijos. I loved reading these miniture poems. They all have a surprise or unique twist or joke at the end. They're so creative and imaginative. The simplistic illustrations add a quirky touch to the book. This was the first t More...
1 comment like (1 person liked it)
May 22, 2009
Mary Ann rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Tap Dancing on the Roof is a collection of original poems written in the Sijo style, a traditional Korean form. The poems are funny, but it a way that makes kids think and then laugh. All of these poems have a twist in the last line. Here's an example of one of our favorites in our family:

Breakfast

For this meal, people like what they like, the same every morning.
Toast and coffee. Bagel and juic. Cornflakes and milk in a white bowl.

Or -- warm, soft, More...
Mar 28, 2008
Tracy rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This is another book that is a pleasure to hold as well as read. The format is square and smaller than most picture books. Inside, the paper is of good quality and provides a nice gleam to the whimsical illustrations.

Linda Sue Park introduces young readers to a Korean form of poetry, sijo. They are short poems that try to end with an unexpected, sometimes funny, twist at the end. The poems provide plenty of material for the Hungarian illustrator, Istvan Banyai. His figures bar More...
Mar 05, 2009
Beth rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Fun little poems with a twist, based on a centuries-old Korean poetry form. The art expands on the delights of each poem. Great for short storytime reads: there are so many themes, ranging from long division to seasons to pockets:

"...Empty pockets, unread books, lunches left on the bus--all a waste
In mine: One horse chestnut. One gum wrapper. One dime. One hamster."


My own poem-picks for summer: Frog, Summer Storm, Ocean Emotion (all appearing in tha
Jun 24, 2010
Cornmaven rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This is a nice collection of Korean sijo poetry, which I knew nothing about. Sort of like the Korean version of haiku, and I actually like sijo better than haiku. Seemed easier to write, and the twist at the end made it enjoyable. Park describes how to do it at the end. There were some lovely short ones, and I think kids would enjoy trying their hand at sijo rather than haiku. Haiku always seems to serious for me - this may be better suited for kids.
Jun 09, 2010
Handd51 rated it: 5 of 5 stars
As a person who actively disliked poetry as a child, I'm so p[leased to see the variety of poetry of interest to kids that is now on our shelves - and this example is great. Haiku have been a standard classroom focus for poetry units for years - these sijo offer an alternative to readers and would-be writers. Linda Sue Park includes a light touch in her humorous twists, and Istvan Banyai's sketchy illustrations are perfectly matched!
Apr 03, 2011
Deanna rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This is a great book to have in the classroom! I would use it everyday. It has different poems about things that occur in school everyday. It could be used as a great transition, read the poem about art class before students go to art or read about long division before starting a math lesson. It gets the students thinking dfferently from what they were just doing, and it promotes literacy in a different form! LOVE IT!
Jul 06, 2010
Park's Project Mulberry was a popular read aloud a few years ago when I taught fourth grade. Tap Dancing is entertaining, but not my favorite when compared to Mulberry. She does have a good sense of childhood and all things children, I must say.The carefree black and white illustrations help lend an airy feel to the the equally silly texts. Art class, school lunches, and the changing seasons are just a few topics explored.
Dec 05, 2011
Jessie rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Sijo is a type of poem that originated in Korea. Like the haiku, it has a set number of syllables, though the stressed syllables are what count here. They are usually divided into three lines, and many English sijos are divided into six to accommodate the difference in languages. There's usually a twist at the end.

These were humorous poems, nevermind the impressive feat of writing them according to form.
Dec 19, 2009
Judi rated it: 4 of 5 stars
One of my favorite new poetry books! All the poems are written in a Koren form called sijo, which is a little like haiku in that there are a set number of lines and syllables--so the poems are short. However, each poem is supposed to have a clever and funny twist at the end....and these all do. Try them if you like funny poems, such as those by Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. You won't be disappointed.
Apr 26, 2011
Aimee rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Another Linda Sue Park gem!! (she's a local author that lives around the corner from us, and she's fabulous!!)
In this book she took the history of the Korean sijo (comparable to a Japanese haiku) and made them kid friendly. She explains how to create a sijo. I have used this book as a great tool with my middle school students as well as my college students. A great cultural book too!
Oct 29, 2009
Marcia rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Poetry

The poems in this book are delightful, funny, and unique with a very pixie-like voice. Written in a traditional Korean poetry form called Sijo, the poems feature a specific syllable accent pattern, and are characterized by a suprise or funny ending. I would enjoy sharing this book with my students, and think they would enjoy trying to write Sijo poetry.
Jun 12, 2011
NancyJo rated it: 3 of 5 stars
This book was certainly clever and fun, but I didn't think it was amazing. I enjoyed some of the poems (long division, word watch, tennis, laundry, bedtime snacks) they weren't all great.

I did appreciate the explanantions on the Sijo poetry type. Overall, I thought the book looked old, the illustrations could have been brighter and more modern.
Nov 04, 2010
Spencer rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Tap Dancing on the Roof was so cute! I liked this book. It had many funny poems like I had never seen before. My favorite poem was "Breakfast" because many mornings I just want to stay in bed too. The Snowman Family reminded me of Frosty the Snowman and a picture of when my family built snowmen in our yard and when they melted when the sun came out.
Dec 07, 2010
Rodolfo added it
this book is about a kid dansing on the roof,he likes
to dance because that's his fravorite thing to do.He do
these stuff with his tap shoe.When a read this book it
remined me when i saw a teacher dancing with tap shoe.
My favorite thing of this book is when they tap on the
roof,it look so fun that i want to tap dancing.It will
be so fun.This book is realistic ficcion.
Sep 07, 2011
Karen rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Sijo is an interesting form of poetry that I was not familiar with . . . Park uses a successful combination of silly and serious poems. Some beautiful imagery: "Lightning jerks the sky awake to take her photograph, flash!" The Sijo form contains some type of a twist, which I think students will find very enjoyable.
May 09, 2011
Rebecca rated it: 3 of 5 stars
The book Tap dancing on the roff is an interesting book. It's a poetry book, it's a little short but really cool. They are just using some tools to make up poems of the most random things ever, but they put a a feel to it! Even though my mom found it unnessesary and weird, I loved it!
Nov 29, 2010
Jose rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This poem book about kids is funny.Some poem is about diffrent kids and others are diffrent.Once my dadsaw the rain storm making waves.I want to remember the one poem poem that says sesquipedalian.Why doesn't it say the kids name?I recommend this book to people that love kids poems.
Oct 11, 2010
Jacqueline rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Some the the most basic topics are elaborated upon in this book using the sijo form of poetry. This Korean form of poetry can be used in the classroom, or explored as a read aloud. The illustrations are simple and to the point, just as the poems.
Apr 24, 2011
Marcia rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This is a fun introduction to Sijo, a Korean poetry form. Similar to Haiku, the poems are short, kid-friendly and contain a twist or surprise. Endearing illustrations add to the accessibility of the poems. I enjoyed them.
Mar 28, 2011
Kayla rated it: 1 of 5 stars
There are a lot of poems that would relate to everyday life. I did not enjoy any of the poems. They seemed choppy and I didn't like reading them. I also didn't like the coloring of the illustrations in the book.
Nov 30, 2010
Linda rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Fun and funny and intriguing poems that kids (and many adults) can relate to. Sijo is a Korean poetry form. (I learned something new!) This is a fun book. Share it with a young--ior old--friend!
Jun 05, 2010
Lea rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I learned a new type of poem (Sijo pomes). Similar to Japanese Haikus, but these are Korean and they have three lines of 14 to 16 syllables. The last line always has a surprise, unexpected twist, or joke at the end. These poems were really cute.
Oct 06, 2011
Snow rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I learned about sijo (which is a type of traditional Korean poetry). It's syllable-based like a haiku. I also learned a new word (sesquipedalian = having a lot of syllables)!
Feb 10, 2009
Sherry rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Good introduction to the Sijo form of poetry. Not your typical poetry book - no rhymes, just delightful exposition which meets the Korean rules of cadence. Grades 2-6.
Sep 07, 2008
Sylvia rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Buku puisi nih. Disebutnya Sijo. Apa itu sijo? Semacam puisi tradisional yang asalnya dari Korea. Seperti Haiku gitu deh, tapi di sijo ada kejutan di endingnya.

Jadi sijo itu biasanya terdiri dari tiga baris. Baris pertama memperkenalkan topik, baris kedua mengembangkan baris pertama, dan baris ketiga biasanya berisi kejutan seperti humor atau ironi, atau permainan kata-kata.

Nih contohnya:

Summer Storm

Lightning jerks the sky awake to take her photog
More...
Sep 04, 2010
Cristina1961 rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Another poetry book that is just fun to read. The writer uses wonderfully colorful language that just made me happy. Kids will love this one.
Jun 11, 2010
Maren rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Delightful poems in sijo, a Korean form of poetry with measured syllables and a surprise twist at the end of the poem. I'd recommend to all ages.