Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman is a door into history, literally. Three children walk through the attic door of their grandparents' home and pretend it's the turn of the century. Everyone plays dress up with grandpa's old clothes—especially grandpa. He was a song and dance man who performed in vaudeville shows. His vest doesn't fit, but his tap shoes do. As the grandchildren listen to "his tap shoes make soft, slippery sounds like rain on a tin roof ", we wonder what images arise in the elderly gentleman's mind. Grandchildren make a kind, attentive audience: "We've heard that joke before, but the song and dance man slaps his knee and laughs until his eyes water." The children laugh too, clap, and shout for more. But grandpa's out of breath following his grand finale. Besides, it's dinnertime. This story encourages generations to share their lives. When grandpa turns off the attic light and glances back up the steps, we infer that he's relishing both the past and the present.
Stephen Gammell breathes visual joy into the story.
