The thumbtack dancer
(Book)

Gus is a most promising, most energetic and most talented young dancer who figures out how to make enough money to upgrade his tip-a-tap thumbtack sneakers to a new pair of real tap shoes that could slap-a-dee-dap, slap-a-dee-dap on a real dance floor. He uses his public street dancing and thumbtack shoes to tap his way down the sidewalk and right up to the big red door of the dance studio.