Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse - Hardcover

Where their recent Nibbles O'Hare offered an unusual Easter Bunny, the Paraskevases' latest is a stale retread about Broadway aspirations. Marvin, a generic black-maned horse, dances with a carnival. He loves his Big Top friends--a weepy pink pig, a showgirl elephant and a tiger that never leaves its cage--yet he yearns for fame. When he meets talent scout Swifty Calico, an orange tomcat in a red suit, Marvin imagines his name in lights. This occasions some corny digs against Swifty: "With hope in his heart and his agent on his back, Marvin headed east, his shoes sparking the pavement." The artist envisions Marvin's success in a conventional spread that pictures newspaper headlines, a tell-all bio and a curtain call with carrots instead of roses ("In less than a year, Marvin was the toast of Broadway"). The text says Marvin wears a "black cape," though he never is seen so attired. Later in the volume, the artwork shows that Marvin has his doubts about the limelight; he looks woeful when surrounded by tuxedoed human revelers and confetti, and a thought balloon reveals that he misses his former home. Surprisingly, few illustrations depict Marvin strutting his stuff, and "tap-dancing" is specified only in the book's title; the collaborators give no dimension to the stock characters, as if the rags-to-riches-to-rags-again clich‚ were satisfactory. At least on paper, Marvin is a pretty lame hoofer. Ages 5-8. (Mar.)Kids Bookworm Bunch.

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Ages 4-6. Marvin is the dancing horse at a carnival. Elizabeth the Emotional Pig and Stripes the Tiger are his friends. Discovered by a talent agent, Swifty, Marvin is whisked off to New York with promises of fame. Instead, Marvin winds up sleeping in Central Park, keeping body and soul together by giving rides, especially during snowstorms. Happily, an audition for Whoa, Dolly! leads to Marvin's Broadway debut. Now Marvin is the toast of Broadway, but, naturally, he longs for home. In a happy carnival reunion, he confirms that friends and fun are more important than fleeting fame. This little morality tale is well disguised as an amusing romp through town and country. The lively text is topped by the chunky acrylic paintings that burst with excitement and catch all the humor. And there's plenty of fun, including one wonderful snow scene in which Marvin carries two passengers through a deserted Broadway blizzard. An entry into PBS Bookworm Bunch program. Ilene Cooper
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