Song and Dance Man: (Caldecott Medal Winner) - Paperback

by Karen Ackerman (Author), 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.

Front Jacket

Illus. in full color. "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.

Author Biography

Karen Ackerman has written over 25 books for young readers, including The Night Crossing, A Brighter Garden illustrated by Tasha Tudor, and Bingleman's Midway illustrated by Barry Moser.

In addition to winning the Caldecott Award for his spirited illustrations in Song and Dance Man, Stephen Gammell is the illustrator of two Caldecott Honor Books, The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and Where the Buffaloes Begin by Olaf Baker.