TITLE: Tunes For Bears To Dance To GRADE LEVEL: 6-7 AUTHOR: Robert Cormier THEMES: Communication, understanding feelings, bias, abuse of power and effects of violence. SYNOPSIS: Henry is a quiet lonely boy adjusting to the death of his brother, life in a new town and his father’s depression. He learns about hypocrisy and prejudice from his employer, the local grocer, and wonders about its effect on the grocer’s fearful daughter. He learns about art, kindness and the strength it takes to transcend suffering from Mr. Levine, a Holocaust survivor. Henry must confront questions about the potential for good and evil in us all when the grocer asks Henry to destroy Mr. Levine’s trust. Easy reading but mature themes. QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTED ANSWERS: Q. Mr. Hairston enjoyed making customers wait during the war, pretending he didn’t have the goods. "I was a dictator. Because I had control over them." What does he use to get control over Henry? A.Henry’s need for a job. Henry’s desire for a gravestone. Henry’s mother’s job. Henry’s respect for Mr. Levine. Q."Empathy" means to understand another’s feelings. Did Mr. Hairston show empathy to anyone? A.No. Q.How could Henry’s friendship help Doris? A.He could help her be less fearful and isolated. He could show her that someone cares. He could give her a different perspective on her father. He could help her see that she didn’t have to be perfect. Q.Henry’s mother said, "We all have our own way of handling the bad things that happen." What are some negative ways people handle the bad things that happen to them? What are some positive ways people handle the bad things that happen to them? A.Answers may vary. Q.What did the Nazis do to Mr. Levine’s village? A.Turned it into a concentration camp. Forced Mr. Levine and his son to work there, allowed his son to die without medicine. Sent away wife and daughters to die. Beat and starved Mr. Levine, made him constantly tip his hat so that even now he can’t stop. Q.Jackie said Henry’s father belonged in the crazy house. How did Henry react? A.Tried to choke Jackie. Q.What are some nonviolent ways Henry could have reacted to Jackie’s comment? A? Answers may vary. Q.Mr. Hairston said, "You only appreciate something when you think you have lost it." Is that true in your life? A.Answers may vary. Q. When Mr. Hairston hired Henry he had asked, "Can you follow orders? Whether you like them or not?" When should you not follow orders? A.Answers may vary. Q.Why did Henry refuse to accept the rewards? A.He knew if he did then the grocer would have won, bringing out the evil in Henry. Standing up to him helped Henry realize the man had no real power over him. Q.How do you feel about Mr. Hairston? If you were Henry what would you have done? A.Answers may vary. Q.The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, "If we could read the secret history of our enemies we would find in each man’s life a sorrow and a suffering enough to disarm all hostility." Do you think this might apply to Mr. Hairston? A.Answers may vary. Developed by Laura P. Weldon. Reprinted with permission of Peace Grows, Inc.
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