Tap Dancing on the Roof

Tap Dancing on the Roof

Written by: Linda Sue Park

Illustrated by: Istvan Banyai

Clarion Books New York 2007

Collection of Poetry

44 pages

            These collections of poems are better referred to as Sijo. Sijo is a Korean form of poetry. This book by Linda Sue Park is filled with a variety of poems. These poems range from subject to subject. Within this book, you will explore a new way to view the world of poetry. The subjects of the poems within this book include things from math to word watching, frogs to tennis, and even laundry to brushing teeth. This book will make you smile, giggle, and wonder. Nevertheless, this book is an unpredictable choice that will leave you breathless.

            Illustrations can make or break the meaning and story of a book. The illustrations in this book do a great job at supporting the text. Istvan Banyai, the illustrator, does a wonderful job at expressing the meaning of each poem with his artwork. Some of Istvan Banyai’s art is confined to one page, while the others are spread across two pages. Each illustration within this book was digitally created for each of the individual poems. However, the artwork in this book is here to play a purpose in the meaning of the poems.

            I would recommend using this book in a second to fourth grade class. This book can be connected to the classroom in three different ways. First, there are poems about math in this book that can help children to better understand things like long division. Next, there are poems that refer to the language arts that are taught in school. An example related to the language arts would be the poem that includes ways to guide students on how to remember the meaning and spelling of words. Lastly, this book can be connected to cultural identifications within the classroom. That means this book can be used to open the door to different varieties of literature from different countries and backgrounds.