An adventurous and curious musical note flutters out of a concert at Carnegie Hall to see what else might be happening in New York City.
The note discovers a Broadway jazz club and interacts with every instrument in the band, dancing and swooping through the double bass, the trumpet, the drums, the saxophone, and the trombone, partaking of joyous rhythms all through the night. In the morning it joins a guitarist in Central Park, where it brings forth more notes, then a chord, and then a song that catches the ear of a bike rider, who carries the song all through the city. Druvert employs lyrical verses in aabb rhymes, creating images that soar along with the music. Inventive, detailed illustrations in blue-gray, black, and white, along with one shining, golden trumpet, alternate with, and provide depth for, breathtaking, incredibly delicate and intricate laser-cut black pages, enriching the sweet, slight tale. In this French import, New York City is as much an important character as the musical note, with constant movement, lively nightlife, and depictions of some of its iconic buildings, water towers, street carts, fire escapes, and more. Adults will need to be the guardians of this beautiful work, carefully turning the pages with their thin, white protectors so their little ones can listen and admire and fall under its spell. An amazing, glorious experience. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-500-65173-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dancing is one of the most universal elements of cultures the world over.
In onomatopoeic, rhyming text, Bolling encourages readers to dance in styles including folk dance, classical ballet, breakdancing, and line dancing. Read aloud, the zippy text will engage young children: “Tappity Tap / Fingers Snap,” reads the rhyme on the double-page spread for flamenco; “Jiggity-Jig / Zig-zag-zig” describes Irish step dancing. The ballet pages stereotypically include only children in dresses or tutus, but one of these dancers wears hijab. Overall, children included are racially diverse and vary in gender presentation. Diaz’s illustrations show her background in animated films; her active child dancers generally have the large-eyed sameness of cartoon characters. The endpapers, with shoes and musical instruments, could become a matching game with pages in the book. The dances depicted are described at the end, including kathak from India and kuku from Guinea, West Africa. Unfortunately, these explanations are quite rudimentary. Kathak dancers use their facial expressions extensively in addition to the “movements of their hands and their jingling feet,” as described in the book. Although today kuku is danced at all types of celebrations in several countries, it was once done after fishing, an activity acknowledged in the illustrations but not mentioned in the explanatory text.
The snappy text will get toes tapping, but the information it carries is limited. (Informational picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63592-142-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
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BOOK REVIEW
Bewitched by the rhythms of jazz all around her in Depression-era Kansas City, little Melba Doretta Liston longs to make music in this fictional account of a little-known jazz great.
Picking up the trombone at 7, the little girl teaches herself to play with the support of her Grandpa John and Momma Lucille, performing on the radio at 8 and touring as a pro at just 17. Both text and illustrations make it clear that it’s not all easy for Melba; “The Best Service for WHITES ONLY” reads a sign in a hotel window as the narrative describes a bigotry-plagued tour in the South with Billie Holiday. But joy carries the day, and the story ends on a high note, with Melba “dazzling audiences and making headlines” around the world. Russell-Brown’s debut text has an innate musicality, mixing judicious use of onomatopoeia with often sonorous prose. Morrison’s sinuous, exaggerated lines are the perfect match for Melba’s story; she puts her entire body into her playing, the exaggerated arch of her back and thrust of her shoulders mirroring the curves of her instrument. In one thrilling spread, the evening gown–clad instrumentalist stands over the male musicians, her slide crossing the gutter while the back bow disappears off the page to the left. An impressive discography complements a two-page afterword and a thorough bibliography.
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60060-898-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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