Sue Ann Martin
and Pamela Gates

DR. PAMELA S. GATES
Pamela Gates is a Professor of English and the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences at Central Michigan University.  She holds a Ph.D. in Teacher Education--Curriculum, Teaching, & Educational Policy with cognates in Children’s & Young Adult Literature and English Education. Her dissertation focused on the use of multicultural literature in sixth grade classrooms to address and examine issues of racism and prejudice and was the origin for one of her books.  Her research and teaching for the past two decades has focused specifically on literature for Children and Young Adults.  In addition to a dozen articles, her list of publications includes two co-authored books, Fantasy Literature for Children & Young Adults ( Scarecrow Press, 2003) and Cultural Journeys: Multicultural Literature for Children & Young Adults (Scarecrow Press, 2006).  She is currently working on two books which include a biography and the second edition of Cultural Journeys.  She strongly believes in and is committed to the power of good literature to develop young readers and critical thinkers who will be the next generation of parents, teachers, and committed global citizens.

 Quoting from the text, “After only about a year, Mr. Alvienne wanted to put Adele and Fred in a show. He dressed them up as a bride and groom, and they tap- danced on top of a pair of wooden wedding cakes built especially for them. The cakes had flashing lights, and bells that they played with their hands and feet.” The Wedding Cake act was very popular and led the young dancers to big time vaudeville. They played the circuit, toured one city after another and were schooled by their mother.
By the time Adele turned thirteen, however, she was much taller than ten-year-old Fred. The act no longer worked and they retired from the stage for two years. After several failed attempts to make a comeback  they sought out a new teacher and a new act. Adele was the still the star but Fred had begun to take on the role of making sure the dances were perfect and developing new routines.

In 1917 the dancing duo left vaudeville for even greater success on Broadway and in London. Eventually, however, Adele wanted to settle down and get married. At the age of thirty-five she retired and Fred left for Hollywood where he found new exciting partners such as Ginger Rodgers and continued his amazing dancing career in musical film.

The story is told in an engaging style with lots of delightful details and lively descriptions. The illustrations are energized with the kinetic swirls and twirls of performance. The picture of Fred and Adele on the front cover sets the happy tone and the tapping shoes on the back cover keep the time.

FOOTWORK: The Story of Fred and Adele Astaire is written by Roxane Orgill and illustrated by Stephane Jorisch and is ideal for children ages 6-10(Candlewick Press, 2013).  This is Sue Ann Martin for THE CHILDREN’S   BOOKSHELF.

Discussion Questions for Footwork

From there, both the tale and the baby seem to grow bigger by the minute.  “Folks came to look from all around.  Seemed every hour he gained a pound.”  Needless to say, as Johnny Kaw grew bigger and bigger, it was just a matter of time before he outgrew everything and his ma and pa decided that they would need to move and find a farm big enough to feed their son.  They left their town and traveled west and Johnny Kaw was only too happy to carry the wagon, its horses, his parents and their belonging across the Missouri river to the new land they would call home.  The house was quickly built and when Johnny’s father found that the land too full of stones to till, Johnny stepped in and pulled up all the stones and threw them west and in the process, formed the Rocky Mountain range. 
The tall tale continues and readers learn that Johnny spit seeds to create the massive wheat fields and even fought with  a cyclone to protect his parents’ farm.  Life was good for Johnny , but eventually, his parents grew old and one day, his mother grew very old and died. Johnny was sad for the first time in his big life.  He remembered how much his mother had loved to watch the sunset and knew that her spirit would always love sunsets, so he set upon the task of  clearing any trees that might block her view.  As the tale goes, Johnny cleared away every tree and left Kansas bare then went through Nebraska and into the Dakotas before turning back to clear Oklahoma and Texas.  And, while readers might know that the story of Johnny Kaw just another tall take, even today, travelers will find the prairies of those states with expansive fields of wheat and open skies for beautiful sunsets.
While Devin Scillian shares the legend of Johnny Kaw,  Brad Sneed has created colorful, expressive water color illustrations that extend this tall tale in a playful animated way for young readers.
Johnny Kaw: A Tall Tale,  written by Devin Scillian  and illustrated byBrad Sneed, is appropriate for ages 6-10.
This is Pamela Gates for the Children’s Bookshelf.
Scillian, Devin.  Johnny Kaw: A Tall Tale.  Illustrated by Brad Sneed. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2013.

Discussion Questions for Johnny Kaw: A Tall Tale