Tap Dancing on The Roof: Sijo (Poems)

Bibliography:Park, Linda Sue. 2007. Ill. By Istvan Banyai. TAP DANCING ON THE ROOF. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN: 978061823483.

Review: In Linda Sue Park's Tap Dancing on the Roof, Park presents 27 joyous and youthful poems in the sijo format. The sijo is much like the Japanese haiku, but it orginates from Korea. The sijo format consist of three lines with fourteen to sixteen syllables. The last line of each sijo is considered to be the the joke or as Park calls it the “twist” which contains humor, play on words, or irony. The lighthearted collection feature poems about a variety of topics such as breakfast, summertime, tennis, and art class. Tap Dancing on the Roof features an introduction by Park which gives a brief overview of what a sijo entails and the collection of poems also features an author's note and helpful tips for the reader to create and write a sijo himself/herself.

Excerpt: “Day's End”
All around, the volume turns down low.
The dark grows gently to fill
each room with peace, and me with sleep.
My mind slips out to play...


...in a world without walls.
Kaleidoscope...Calliope...Collage!


Introducing the Poem:
Due to the wide variety of subject matter Tap Dancing on the Roof, with its the youthful sijos, will resonate with children of all ages. The lively and childlike illustrations by Istvan Banjai bring the poems to life and will most certainly captivate the attention of all readers. Linda Sue Park's entertaining collection would be a great tool in introducing the sijo format. Most school children are familiar with haiku, but much less are aware of the Korean sijo. Due to the detailed and helpful instructions contained in the back of the book, children can be encouraged and inspired to experiment with and create their own special sijo.