TY'S ONE-MAN BAND

by Mildred Pitts Walter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1980

Step-th-hump; step-th-hump. Out of the woods by the pond comes a man with a wooden peg leg, carrying his meal in a bundle. When the man is through eating by the pond he juggles his plate, cup, and spoon, and drums on the cup with the spoon. But he is not a circus man, the stranger tells young Ty (who's been watching). ""My name is Andro. I'm a one-man band."" And he promises to make music at sundown if Ty will supply a washboard, two wooden spoons, a tin pail, and a comb. And despite the skepticism of Ty's family and friends, Andro does return to make music--plus the sounds of ducks, galloping horses, falling water, and a freight train--from the objects Ty supplies. Everyone leaves their porches and dances, and only Ty sees Andro slip away back into the night. All of this takes place in a small Southern community on a hot summer day about 50 years ago. Both Ty and Andro are black. Despite some idealized integration in the illustrations, the words and pictures work nicely together to project the special atmosphere of the time and place and the special occasion created by the stranger's drifting through.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Four Winds

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1980

Categories: CHILDREN'S