Barn Dance!

by Bill Martin Jr, John Archambault, Ted Rand (Illustrator)

Overview

In an old farmhouse, bathed in the light of a full moon, a young boy creeps to his bedroom window and looks outside. Was that a voice he just heard, or the hooting of an owl? There it is again:

Come a little closer...

Come a little closer...

Listen to the night...

There's music in the air...

Beckoned by the voice, the boy sneaks downstairs, out the door, and walks toward the barn. As he gets closer he hears the sweet sound of a country fiddler and the rhythmic thumping of dancing feet. But who could possibly be having a barn dance in the middle of the night?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805007992
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	09/15/1988
Series:	Reading Rainbow Books
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	190,948
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.10(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Bill Martin, Jr. (1916-2004) was an elementary-school principal, teacher, writer, and poet. His more than 300 books, among them the bestselling classics Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?; Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?; Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?; and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, are a testament to his ability to speak directly to children. Martin held a doctoral degree in early childhood education. Born in Kansas, he worked as an elementary-school principal in Chicago before moving to New York City, where he worked in publishing developing innovative reading programs for schools. After several years, he devoted himself full-time to writing his children’s books. He lived in New York until 1993, when he moved to Texas. He lived in the east Texas woods, near the town of Commerce, until he passed away in 2004.

John Archambault has collaborated on several successful picture books, including The Ghost-Eye Tree, Barn Dance!, and Knots on a Counting Rope. With Bill Martin Jr. he wrote Listen to the Rain and The Magic Pumpkin.

Ted Rand has collaborated with Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault on several successful picture books, including The Ghost-Eye Tree, Barn Dance!, and Knots on a Counting Rope.

Editorial Reviews

With a rhythmic cadence Martin and Archambault build their story from a quiet moonlit night when 'there's magic in the air' to a very special, foot stompin' party....An engaging blend of words and pictures to set both the mind and eye dancing.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Sheer magic! A fun-filled romp, ideal for reading aloud.” —Childhood Education

“A rousing, rowdy tale pulsing with the rhythm of country music....Rand's raucous...watercolor spreads are as spirited as the story poem.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

An ordinary evening becomes a festival of foot-stompin' good fun when neighbors gather at a barn dance. A Reading Rainbow selection. Ages 5-8. (March)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3 With a rhythmic cadence Martin and Archambault build their story from a quiet moonlit night when ``there's magic in the air'' to a very special foot stompin' party and back again. On this eerie night everyone is asleep except for the ``skinny kid with questions in his head.'' With him readers sneak out to the barn and hide just in time to see all the farm animals kick up their heels to the scarecrow's fiddle music. While the words are a delight to hear (albeit it's a bit hard to get the tongue around on some lines), Rand's pictures make the story come alive. The two-page spreads range from the barn standing ghost-like in the full moonlight to the colorful interior of the barn, where the figures seem to be in perpetual motion. An engaging blend of words and pictures to set both the mind and eye dancing. Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library

School Library Journal