Reviews
A tribute to Bill "Bojangles" Robinson captures the rhythm of the famous tap dancing he did all over the city: in the street, behind doors that were both open and closed to him, in crowds, in upscale neighborhoods as well as "the skids," in the park, and ultimately, on stage. Watercolor illustrations in sophisticated shades of tan, plum, aqua, mustard, olive, rust, black, and gray recall the pre-WWII era in which Robinson lived and danced. The stylized figures, shown mostly in profile without detailed features, are reminiscent of Synthia Saint James''s work and stand out cleanly against a bright white background. The contagious, joyful exhilaration of Bojangles''s dance is conveyed through shadowy legs surrounding his real ones, as if the rapt onlookers'' eyes could not keep up with his frenetic movement, as well as the rhyming text that begs to be read aloud and repeated. A note at the end explains who Bojangles was and includes fascinating information about his life and his talent, including the fact that no other dancer was ever able to repeat some of his more intricate steps. Spectacular, clear design includes spot varnish on the cover, highlighting the colorful type and figures against a matte white. This jazzy introduction to an important contributor to American culture will entrance the youngest music and dance fans.--Kirkus Reviews, August 1st 2002, starred review In a departure from their recognizable illustration style, the versatile husband-and-wife team here uses a striking gouache painting technique that pays homage to Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas to craft an exuberant picture-book tribute to African-American tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949). Brief, rhyming text introduces the tall, lean and dapper man who "danced in the street" and "made art with his feet." In keeping with tapdancing tradition, each line of verse returns to a rhythmic refrain ("Rap a tap tap think of that!"). The deceptively simple text conveys the complexities of the era: "He danced past doors; some were open, some closed" accompanies a montage of entryways, with some people welcoming Robinson, but a white man closing his door. On the other hand "folks in fancy clothes" depicts whites and blacks together outside a show. Most spreads exude the everyday joys of a bustling city neighborhood, and the bouncy beat will hold the attention of even youngest readers. A short biographical note appears at the end of the book. The cubed-looking apartment buildings, an elevated/subway train, store fronts and traffic lights suggest Manhattan (eagle-eye readers will notice an obscured sign for 125th Street), but the scenes are general enough to lend the art a universal, timeless feel. The Dillons cleverly depict Robinson''s fast-flying feet with varying shades of the same color around his legs, creating a sense of movement with a shadow/silhouette effect. The graceful figure he cuts on the page is a hoofer''s delight.--Publishers Weekly, August 12th, 2002, starred review Legendary African-American tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949) is the subject of this picture book. Graphically, the volume is a joy and would work well in a group setting. The left side of each spread contains an outdoor scene in which people are captivated by the performer''s dancing: exuberant children, dressed-to-the-nines adults, the ragged homeless. Where the boldly painted, flat images overlap, the colors change, as if the foreground objects were transparent. Continuing this approach, the dancer is rendered in brown, gray, or black on the right, sporting multiple appendages-that is, the parts of his body that are still "moving" appear in lighter shades behind or on top of the more deeply hued arms and legs. There is a sense of progressive motion until the climax, when Bojangles moves across the entire white field, a series of intersecting pale gray to black forms, finally bowing, top hat in hand. The simple, rhymed text is less inspired, * "This jazzy introduction to an important contributor to American culture will entrance the youngest music and dance fans." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review * "An exuberant picture-book tribute to African-American tap dancer Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review * "This fancy-free introduction captures the ebullience of [Bojangles'] dancing as well as the way he touched audiences." -- Booklist , starred review
