Knockin' on Wood: Starring Peg Leg Bates

Clayton Bates, born into a sharecropping family in South Carolina in the early 1900s, hated farming but loved to dance. Nothing his mother did could stop him from walking into town to the barbershop to tap dance for the customers. She also discouraged Clayton from working in the local cottonseed mill when he was twelve, but Clayton was determined to switch from farm work to factory work. Tragically, he lost his left leg after a terrible accident at the mill, but he did not lose his fierce determination and love of dancing. Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates emerged to become one of the country's most famous tap dancers, performing in front of white and black audiences and opening one of the first resorts in New York's Catskill Mountains to welcome African Americans. Knockin' on Wood makes an important contribution to children's literature by raising awareness of this remarkable and talented man.

This is the picture book biography of Peg Leg Bats. He was the son of a sharecropper who dreamed of being a famous dancer. He has to go to work at an early age at a factory. While on the job he had an accident that caused him to lose a leg. He didn't let this stop his dream. He got a wooden leg and danced as well as ever. He danced in movies, on tv and even for the King and Queen of England! The book was a great example of courage and determination. All Peg Leg ever wanted to do was dance and he didn't let the accident stop him! I would recommend this book to others. My mom and I read this as part of our black history month study. We learned a lot from this book. Before reading it I had never heard of Peg Leg Bates.