Tap Dancing on the Roof (2007)
Linda Sue Park
Illustrated by Istvan Banyai
Park has written a series of quirky poems written in the Kirean tradition of Sijo poetry, which consists of 3 lines of 16 syllables total. In the endpages, the author explains the format:
Line 1- Introduction to topic
Line 2- Develops topic
Line 3- Twist
The third line is where reader’s expectations are challenged. These twists may include irony, unexpected imagery, or a play on words. Park has also included some tips for writing your own poem.
Banyai’s ink and paint illustrations are a perfect complement to these ironic poems. He has created pages full of movement. For the poem “Long Division,” Banyai has included a child hanging off of a division sign and elaborates on the concept, adding a child cutting numbers and carrying away a huge slice of an oversized cake. As in much of his art, the illustrator uses a black and white palette with colors to accent parts of the illustrations.
Teachers will find some science connections in some of the twists in the poems. “Tide Line” is an example, along with “Frog,” where Park asks the creature if it wonders what happened to its tail and readers must infer about the meaning.
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