Song and Dance Man

by Karen Ackerman, Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)

A beautifully nostalgic picture book about one grandfather's younger days that shows you're only as old as you feel!

"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. Gammell captures all the story's inherent joie de vivre with color pencil renderings that 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. Utterly original."--(starred) Booklist.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Music, Historical Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet and totally lovingly fun romp through Grandpa’s past as a Vaudeville performer, Karen Ackerman’s Song and Dance Man certainly has proven to be delightful, although if truth be told I am at the same time also not in any manner magically "wowed" by Song and Dance Man either, and indeed mostly so because I personally would most definitely have liked (and perhaps even in fact have required) at least a modicum of historical background details on Vaudeville, and no, not so much within the text of Song and Dance Man itself, but rather as an author's note or afterword (and yes, including both supplemental historical information and archival photographs as well as non fiction book suggestions for further reading and research). And thus, as much as I truly do enjoy and appreciate Karen Ackerman's presented narrative in Song and Dance Man and how she certainly manages to so convincingly and joyfully show and demonstrate not only what Grandpa’s life as a Vaudeville performer was like but also just how fondly and nostalgically he remembers all of this this and is keen to share these memories with his grandchildren (and with accompanying artwork by Stephen Gammell that is to and for my eyes an aesthetically perfect complement to and for Ackerman’s featured text, visually and colourfully showing the same sense of nostalgic fun and movement and as such also totally worthy of being awarded the 1989 Caldecott Medal), I am nevertheless and still left with a rather frustrated and annoyed personal feeling that there certainly could have been oh so so much more done with Song and Dance Man and yes, much more non fiction supplemental information on Vaudeville both verbal and pictorial provided.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grandpa has some hidden talents. He likes to set the stage and put on a shoe for his grandkids. He does the soft shoe shuffle and some tapping and other tap moves. It would be pretty amazing to see grandpa putting on a show.

The kids thought this was funny. Grandpa dancing made them laugh. They had fun with the book.

I was indifferent about the art here. When I picked out this book, I thought it was about Fred Astaire. It is not, but Grandpa did work on the Vaudeville stage.

[Annie ⚜️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Surprised this was a Caldecott winner though I did think it was interesting that grandpa had been in vaudeville, a near forgotten world. Having grown up mainly in Hudson County, New Jersey which was famous for it's vaudeville theaters that are almost all gone, that aspect struck a chord.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this warmhearted tale of a grandfather sharing a glimpse of his Vaudeville performances of yore with his grandchildren. Loved the magic (theater is magic to me!) as they all climb up to the dusty attic and open the old chest containing the Vaudeville costume, the wonder as the grandpa polishes his tap shoes and tips the lampshades to shine like spotlights, while the children gather on piled up blankets and watch with awe and appreciation as their grandpa becomes something more than the man they always see downstairs--he becomes the song and dance man.

Dance is in my blood. I've loved dance since I was a little girl and became pretty serious about ballet for a number of years. I took classes from one of the top teachers in the country and it always amazed me that, despite her advanced years and the fact that she couldn't execute a dance step anymore, she was one of the most graceful dancers I've ever seen. It was in every step she took, the way she inclined her head, the sparkle in her eyes, the way the music somehow flowed through her even though she only walked the floor and watched the youngsters do what she could no longer do. It's that "magic" I was talking about--it clings to you, once dance is truly in your heart, and it never leaves you. In this book, the grandpa seems pretty sprightly and it's wonderful that he can still perform dances for the children, but I appreciated the poignancy as he descended the stairs carefully holding onto the railing, and looked wistfully at his past. I hope that I will be able to dance, in some capacity, when I'm advanced in years--that some of that magic of dance will still cling to me, as it does to this lovely book.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet story about a talented grandpa and his adoring grandchildren fans!

Ages: 4 - 9

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Yousra · Rating 3 out of 5]

موضوعها غريب قليلا علينا والرسومات غريبة أيضا وغير مألوفة ولكنها توحي بالسعادة وتدفع للابتسام ... جو القصة دافئ على الرغم من كون موضوعها غريبا على ثقافتنا وبيئتنا

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is kind of neat and just a bit sentimental to me. The title makes me think of Bob Dylan, who has called himself a song and dance man before, ha. The grandfather in this story is a retired Vaudeville tap dance performer, who puts on a show for his grandchildren. His love for performing and the fact that he performed on Vaudeville make me think of my maternal grandfather and his family. My grandfather has a love for music, was quite the piano player in his day, taught music, and still plays well and loves sharing these talents with others. If I understand the family history correctly, his great-grandmother (my great-great-great grandmother) and her mother and sister were concert pianists who traveled and played, some Vaudeville and some Lyceum meetings. This is a story about passing on family history and bonding over shared delight.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

1989 Caldecott. Cute story about grandpa leading his three grandkids into the attic whereby he pulls some tap shoes out of a trunk and proceeds to entertain the kids enough to get the hiccups going. He can dance, sing, tell jokes, and do tricks with his had and handkerchief.
Good pictures with a simple story that moves right along. Great for kids.
I can hear kids at the end of this book say "again, again".
4* both pictures and story.

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot more fun and engaging to read than I expected based on the cover. From the cover, it looks like one of those books that is just going to be really wordy and not fun for kids. But, my 7 year old daughter enjoyed this quite a bit.

It is about a grandfather performing his old vaudeville act for his grandchildren which they feel is better than TV.

[Neda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very delicate story. The children visit their grandparents and their grandpa takes them to the attic and shows them his pair of shoes, his stick and his suit back the time he was a performer on Vaudeville stage. He's the great Song and Dance Man. He performs for his grandchildren and children are all thrilled and happy.. They finally wish they had seen him sing and dance when he was young and on stage. The grandpa agrees but tells them that he loves them more than anything..

The illustrations are also soft and lovely. Gammell has tried to show movement and dance and we also have different perspectives.
A nice one!

[Wilmarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 1989 Caldecott Medal Winner was this beautifully illustrated book with colored pencil drawings. This story begins with a grandfather talking to his grandkids about the times before television sets were in people’s homes. In that time, people entertained themselves going to shows where he worked as a song and dance man. He then took the kids too the attic where in the corner laid a leather trim trunk. In this trunk were the grandfather’s show biz ensemble, like the tap dancing shoes, wardrobe with matching ties, cane and top hat. The children quickly started to wear their grandpa’s clothes as the grandfather also got ready for Showtime. He started tapping his shoes and moving about, that soon the children were so enthralled, they forgot it their their grandfather performing. He made different dance moves, dang, and even did tricks to his audience of kids. And too soon, for the kids sake, the tapping stopped and he kneeled in front of his audience, with the cane and top hat laying side by side on the floor. The kids asked for an encore, but grandfather explained he was tired. So they proceeded to put everything back as tidy add they found them. When they were leaving the attic, the children expressed they had wished to see him in the good old days on the vaudeville stage. The grandad replied he would not trade a single moment spent with them for a moment on stage. After locking up the attic he looks back, and the children wonder if he misses the good old days when he was a song and dance man.
This is a wonderful story for children to read. Especially since one of literature’s purposes is to learn from other places and times. The vaudeville is something I had to look up, once I started reading because I had no idea what it was. So this book would be an asset, in favor of children gaining knowledge of a time, probably that even their grandparents did not experience.
I certainly enjoyed both the story and the illustrations. The story reminds me of, the best days, when my grandpa was alive and he would tell me all about the past. His experiences in life were one of the first storytelling time I enjoyed, for he had a peculiarly detailed way to tell his tales. Insight to the past, specially when told from someone who experienced it firsthand, awakens an eagerness to know more in a person. And from this curiosity is bought to life the love for literature. For it is in literature that we find out whatever we want to know from a different culture, time, city, historic event, among others.

[Aly Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

• Book summary
-This story is about three children that go visit their Grandpa. They all go to the attic to search for his old dance shoes and clothing. They all dress up in the old clothing and watch Grandpa perform a dance. They had a great time and Grandpa got the opportunity to reminisce about his life. He looked back with pride and knew that he was happy just where he was; with his grandchildren.

• Caldecott Medal

• Grade level, interest level, Lexile
-K-2

• Appropriate classroom use (subject area)
-During story time to teach students to never forget who they are, and to enjoy every day.

• Individual students who might benefit from reading
-All students will enjoy reading this fun story about the song and dance man. Especially students that have a passion for song and dance.

• Small group use (literature circles)
-Students can share what they want to do when they grow up, and how they are going to work to get there.

• Whole class use (read aloud)
-Students can take turns telling the class who they want to be when they grow up. Then talk about why the man in the story was happy the way he lives now. He loves his family.

• Related books in genre/subject or content area
-“Hey, Al” by Arthur Yorinks, portrays a similar moral. Appreciate what you have and look towards the future. Don’t focus on the struggles of the present.

• Multimedia connections
-Book can be purchased on a Kindle or as a paperback copy.

[Tamera Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) Book Summary: One day three little children visited their grandfather for the day. There grandfather was telling them about his old story and one day he took them to the attic and put his dance gear on he used to wear and showed them what it was like being a song and dance man. It won the Caldecott award medal for this book.

2) Grade level, interest level, lexile: The grade level for this book is preschool to 2nd grade, the interest level is 3 to 7 years old, and the lexile is 780l

3) Appropriate classroom use (subject area): Reading block period

4) Individual students who might benefit from reading : I would say children who have grandparents with music or singing background history would love this.

5) Small group use (literary circles) : I would probably have each child read a page to me and tell me their thought about the passage they read.

6) Whole class use (read aloud) : I would read the book to the students as a whole and maybe cut on some music and let the children dance for a moment.

7) Related books in genre/subject or content area: The Relatives Came book

8) Multimedia connections (audio book, movie) available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, Cassette Tape

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a picture book that will make you remember your grandparents with a fond memory or will make you want to visit them soon. This heartwarming story is told from the viewpoint of a grandchild as he visits his grandparents’ house. The grandfather used to be a tap dancer in the theater. He invites the grandkids up to the attic when they visit and gives them a show demonstrating his old dancing acts. In this book, one of the grandchildren expresses his feelings of enjoyment and connection with his grandfather and how he longs to know what his grandfather was like in his younger age.

I would use this book from 2-5th grade. Children usually know their grandparents and get to hear stories about when they were young. This book brings to life this common family tie that brings grandparents and grandkids together in a special way that doesn’t happen with their parents. The book has expressive illustrations showing lots of movement and uses flashy colors just like an entertaining tap dance. This would be a nice mentor text for students to use to write small moments stories with their grandparents in mind. It is a heartwarming book.

[Alana Salcido · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a sweet story that many of us can relate to if we have a special grandparent in our lives. This story was about a very talented Grandpa and the day he shared his old talents with his little grandchildren. The children learn about the so-called "Song and Dance Days", the time before TV ruled the lives of youngsters. He ends up showcasing his talents in a special performance for his grandchildren one day when they visited. What follows is both funny and warms the soul of the readers.

Now, the best part of this book were the illustrations. The rainbow of colors exploded all over every page and it was absolutely beautiful! Almost every color was represented in the book's pages and it came together as a very pretty and well executed creation. I love the way that you can actually see the pencil lines from the illustrator. The pictures at times were also symbolic of his past as an entertainer and being in front of an audience. It brought warmth to my heart thinking about my own Grandfather and his past in a band playing music. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book.

[Salina King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrations reinforce this sweet story of a grandfather performing for his grandchildren like he did when he was a dancer on the vaudeville stage. Small details from the text can be seen in the illustrations like the gold tip of the cane and the single spotlight on grandpa’s shoes. The illustrations, which look like colored pencil, are full of color, which help set the cheery and uplifting mood of the story. Through lines and shading the illustrator shows movement as the song and dance man taps his way across the attic. The illustrations also help the reader connect with the grandchildren when they say “We forget that it’s Grandpa dancing, and all we can hear is the silvery tap of two feel, and all we can see is a song and dance man gliding across a vaudeville stage.” by making the grandpa an outline with vague details. I really love how this story is all about family and how much fun children can have with their grandparents; my grandma and I do a lot of traveling together and it will always be something I hold near and dear to my heart.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Song and Dance Man" by Karen Ackerman was a story of a Grandfather spending an afternoon with his grandchildren. During this time, he takes them into the attic to show them that there was once a time when people had to rely on things other than television for entertainment. He opens a chest and begins to show them all of his old things and even performs for them. Unfortunately, this story bored me a little bit, and was not my favorite. I think kids might enjoy this, but the only thing that kept me turning the pages were the illustrations.
The illustrations in the book were unlike any other I have seen, very original. I absolutely loved the use of light and dark contrast, and the way the colors seems to be just blotted on the page in a random way, but when looked at it created a beautiful pictures. The illustrations kept me wanting to turn the page! I would definitely have nominated this book for a Caldecott award!

[Miss Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its the kind of grandparent house every kid wishes for. Complete with trunks full of stuff, blankets to sit on, and an engaged and engaging grandpa ready to not only tell you about "the good old days" but to show them to you with a show! This cute book reads to me like a love letter to theater and vaudeville. And that is great. But I think kids will latch onto the idea of a grandpa singing and dancing, while the parent will latch onto the fact that grandpa holds the stair bannister for support when hes done! Ha!

The pictures are cute, with a sketched and informal feel, matching the book.

Some of the language is more poetic and literary than ready for outloud reading, but it is still good. Depending on who is doing the reading, this book could be recommended for lap sitting kids all the way up to 9 or 10. Beyond that, and they might not care...unless they are the type of kid who cares for this kind of thing.

It is so hard to recommend books. I like so many of them!!

[SamZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

1989 Caldecott Medal - Favorite Illustration: After the show, when all the kids are hugging Grandpa.
Many years ago, before everyone had a television, people went to shows for entertainment. Three children learn about these shows from their grandfather, who used to be a "Song and Dance Man." Grandpa takes the children up to the attic, where he puts on a show complete with tap dancing, singing, banjo playing, and magic tricks. I liked the idea of this story, but I wish that the illustrations were more realistic. I didn't really care for the colored pencil and pudgy/whimsical style of the people, I would have much preferred more detail and realism from the pictures. As it was, I felt that they made what could have been a beautiful, touching story into more of a fluffy, fun story - but not much more.

[Caroline Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

o Summary: This book is about a grandfather who loves his grandchildren. He pulls out his old shoes, hat, and cane and shows them what it was like to be a song and dance man. He grandchildren are so impressed. You are only as old as you feel and it is obvious that this grandfather still has it!
o Grade level: third
o Appropriate classroom use would be for a fun read.
o Individual students who might benefit from reading any student. They would think it was a fun book and love the illistrations
o Small group use: I would have this on my classroom bookshelf for students to read during quiet time or recess.
o Whole class use: We would read this during carpet time.
o Related books in genre/subject or content area: What You Always Wanted
o Multimedia connections available: I couldn't find anything for this book.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book that uses charming pencil drawings to create softly illustrated pictures that really enhance the story.

A grandfather takes his grandchildren up to the attic to share with them a time before TV, when he was a vaudeville performer.

His story is fun, and makes you want to call up your grandparents to have them tell their stories of their youth before they are gone. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

This book was selected as one of the books for the July 2016- Quarterly Caldecott discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked these bright and colorful illustrations. Gammell used lots of colors that I like, bright yellows, blues, purples, pinks, aquas, grass green, etc. The illustrations were so energetic, one could almost see the Grandfather dancing. I liked how the backgrounds were almost scribbly in places. It's a wonderful family story as well, with Grandfather entertaining his grandchildren. They will have such wonderful memories of him!

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story in this one seemed pretty cliched to me, and the repetition of phrases like “the vaudeville stage” got annoying pretty quickly. I tend to like Gammell’s illustration style in general, but I wasn’t overly fond of how the grandpa looks in this story. I think my favorite picture is actually the spread where he and the kids are in the attic looking for his old song and dance clothes. The use of shadow is great throughout the book, but it’s especially evocative in that scene.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the loving relationship that is so evident between the grandfather and his grandchildren. I love his joy and enthusiasm as he shows and tells his grandchildren about the "good old days" when he was a song and dance man (a vaudeville performer). But I especially love the wonderful illustrations that accompany this lovely story.

[Amnah Haider · Rating 5 out of 5]

قصيدةٌ أخرى..🧡

[Madison Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grandpa used to dance on the Vaudeville stage, but he’s too old now to keep living his dancing dreams and has long since settled down to a happy life. But on a rainy day he is more than happy to put on a show for his grandkids and relive the good old days with memorabilia he keeps in a trunk in the attic. In my opinion the story was rather boring, it lacked detail and the illustrations were dull and didn’t draw my attention. The colors of the drawings seemed muted and washed out and had very little detail, but they did a good job of showing movement and action despite that. The book lacked a climax and the plot was overly simplified even for a children's book, almost all of the characters were flat accept for grandpa, who was vivid and spunky. The mood was uplifting and funny, detailing a silly day spent in the attic with grandpa and the theme was to make the best of the day and enjoy stories from the past. The book establishes a background of Vaudeville and the life of a performer, good information for children who wish to follow such a career path or who are interested in such things. I enjoyed hearing some of Grandpa's stories but wish they had had more detail or that the illustrations has provided a better picture of what happened. I also wish the story had included more three dimensional characters and a true plot with a rising and falling action and a climax, I believe those are things children would enjoy and benefit from as well.

[Hannah Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Caldecott winner is a great example of how figurative language can make readers feel as if they are in the story and how illustrations can add to the text. The illustrations are bright, cheerful, and very colorful, which adds to the story by making it feel very light-hearted and happy. The illustrations correlate beautifully with how the grandchildren feel when they get to visit their grandparents and how their grandpa feels when he reminisces the good-old-days through song and dance. The figurative language that is seen in almost every sentence is a beautiful and very descriptive way the reader can connect and imagine the sounds during the grandfather’s performances, rather than just telling the reader what the sounds were. Another interesting aspect of this book is the point of view. As you read throughout this book you get the story through one of the voices of the grandchildren, so the way they think and feel towards visiting their grandparents and how they feel towards their grandfather’s performances could be how our students would feel in the same situation. Students can also relate to this point of view because we as readers don’t know if the speaker is a boy or a girl so the students will have no separation between identifying with the characters and events in the book.

[Michael Huscusson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Grandpa sits in his chair, watching his grandchildren watch TV. He see’s them paying so much attention to the television, missing out on all the great experiences he went through as a child. He tells them to follow him up to the attic, where a large black box is sitting. Grandpa opens the box, slipping on his tap shoes and his large black hat. Breaking out into tap music, dancing all around the attic, the children are amazed. They never knew grandpa could dance and play music the way he did. They sit back and watch their grandpa put on a show for them, showing them what it was like to grow up in his generation.
Critique: When walking up to the attic, there wasn’t much background information on what the grandpas childhood was like. I feel this could strength the story before he begins dancing. By not knowing much about him, the reader might get confused about how he became such an avid dancer because many students won't understand how big songs and dancing were when the grandpa was younger.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrator Stephen Gammell really captures the liveliness of the story using colored pencil as his media for the story Song and Dance Man. This fun and lighthearted book is about three children learning about their grandfather’s time as a song and dance man before television consumed people’s lives. The illustrations are extremely lively and energetic and project a sense of happiness and joyful feeling in the reader. This is book relays a sense of nostalgia as Grandpa sings, dances and tells jokes to his grandchildren, reliving his youth and enjoying every moment. Each illustration shows excitement in the character’s expressions, such as when the children try on some of their grandpa’s old props and begin dancing. This is a very expressive and colorful book and will surely remind kids that even adults in their life can be exciting.