This Is Tap: Savion Glover Finds His Funk

by Selene Castrovilla, Laura Freeman (Illustrator)

Overview

Pulsating text and high-energy illustrations tell the story of Savion Glover, a dancer and choreographer who revolutionazed an art form.

Savion Glover was born
with a beat.
A rhythm in his head.
A sound
in his soul.

This kinetic, lyrical biography, about a boy who loved to move his body and make music with his feet, begs to be read aloud. Savion studied drums at four and tap at seven, and by the time he was ten, he was dancing on Broadway. Savion Glover grew up to an exciting and innovative tap dancer and a Tony-award winning choreographer. A great book for kids who love to dance!

An Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Texas Topaz Nonfiction Gem

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823460250
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	01/21/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Selene Castrovilla is an award-winning nonfiction and fiction author who is dedicated to uncovering hidden truths about both our nation's history and about ourselves. Her works include Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette received numerous accolades, including the Society of School Librarians International Book Award Honor and the California Reading Association Eureka! Nonfiction Honor. Also, Revolutionary Rogues: John André and Benedict Arnold was a National Council for the Social Studies and Children's Book Council Notable Trade Social Studies Book, a Kansas Reading Circle choice, a Bank Street College Best Book and featured on School Library Journal’s recommended reading for American history list.

Laura Freeman is an African American illustrator who was given an NAACP Image Award and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for Hidden Figures. Other honors include 6 Junior Library Guild selections, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best List, and state awards.

Editorial Reviews

"This kinetic and exciting. . . . Written in simple, flowing verse that "hits" just like a tap shoe, the smooth text is lively, punctuated by beats, and begs to be read out loud. . . . Freeman’s ­dynamic ­illustrations pulse with vitality. . . ."—School Library Journal

"Dance-like energy pervades. . . . Castrovilla's prominently onomatopoeic verse dances through rhythmic variations, while Freemanfs kinetic, saturated illustrations use pale emanata to echo movement across the protagonist and diverse secondary cast."—Publishers Weekly

"A soaring tribute to a legendary dancer and choreographer."—Kirkus Reviews

"[An] energetic biography. . . .Percussive verses lay out his journey and triumphs, while a joyful cacophony surrounds Glover’s movements. . . . The kinetic quality of the book’s subject is just as present in Coretta Scott King Honor Book illustrator Freeman’s vibrant digital illustrations, which use swooshes, starbursts, and flurries of feet to show Glover in constant motion. . . . There’s always a need for more books on male dancers, and this one—especially when read aloud—will get kids grooving to their own beats."—Booklist

From the Publisher

02/06/2023

Dance-like energy pervades this picture book biography of American performer Savion Glover (b. 1973). Born “with a beat./ ...Pulsin’./ Poundin’./ Demandin’/ to be free,” Glover became invested in rhythm at a young age, starting drum class at age four, beginning tap lessons at age seven, and starring on Broadway by age 10. But even after taking on a successful stage show, European tour, and film, he felt “restless./ Tired of the/ same steps” and of dancing to others’ beats. Finally, at a hip-hop club, Glover found a groove that would let him “respect the past/ while definin’ the moment”—and prepared a visionary return to the Broadway stage. Castrovilla’s prominently onomatopoeic verse dances through rhythmic variations, while Freeman’s kinetic, saturated illustrations use pale emanata to echo movement across the protagonist and diverse secondary cast. The verse telling sometimes focuses on Glover’s exploration of sound and rhythm over biographical details, but it solidly accentuates the emotional arc of his career. An afterword and bibliography conclude. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

03/01/2023

Gr 1–2—This kinetic and exciting picture book biography shares the life story of tap-dancing sensation Savion Glover. Written in simple, flowing verse that "hits" just like a tap shoe, the smooth text is lively, punctuated by beats, and begs to be read out loud. Repetition of end sounds and generous use of onomatopoeia add vitality to each page. The story starts with a focus on Glover's mother's pregnancy and shifts to his upbringing in connection to the arts, beginning drumming and dance lessons at a young age and excelling at both. Readers learn about Glover's breakout role in the New York theater scene at the age 10, and how New York City influenced the development of what he has become known best for—a unique blend of tap dancing and hip hop. As readers follow Glover coming to prominence after choreographing and starring in his own Broadway show that chronicled the history of racism in the United States as expressed through tap, Castrovilla helps readers to imagine what it must feel like to experience music and rhythm the way Glover does in every moment and in any setting, however mundane. Freeman's dynamic illustrations pulse with vitality—Glover is never depicted as still or flat-footed. On each page he is leaping, twirling, or hitting a beat, communicating volumes with his feet. An afterword provides needed details about key experiences in Glover's life. VERDICT Recommended for large nonfiction collections.—Lauren Younger

School Library Journal

2023-03-14
A look at Savion Glover, the Black tap-dancer extraordinaire who choreographed Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk.

In the womb, Savion kicked “to ’da beat.” As a toddler, he bounced through the house. He pounded beats on pots and pans. At age 4 he took drum lessons, and, at 7, tap dance. Savion felt rhythm everywhere. At 10, he was dancing in shows, and he learned “hittin’ ” from the “old-time cats” in Harlem—“expressin’ / yourself / with your feet.” Eventually, Savion found a way to combine the old—tap—with the new: hip-hop. He choreographed and starred in Bring in ’da Noise, which opened off-Broadway in 1995 and moved to Broadway the following year; the show traced racism in history through tap and integrated hip-hop, transformed theater, tap, and Broadway, and defined Savion’s contribution to the art form. In short lines of verse, Castrovilla describes Savion’s evolution as an artist. The rhythmic text, while generally fun to read, is a bit awkward; for those without historical or dance backgrounds, some information may be lost on readers—Bring in ’da Noise, for instance, isn’t mentioned by name until the afterword. But Freeman’s illustrations use unique design and cultural detail to convey energy and movement, paying powerful homage to this legendary artist. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A soaring tribute to a legendary dancer and choreographer. (bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews