62. Everything a Drum

Everything a Drum. Sarah Warren. Illustrated by Camila Carrossine. 2023. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book]

First sentence:  You bang and bash. Ta-tum! tum! tum! The trash goes crash! pa-pum! pum! pum! You turn the world into a drum. You turn the world into a drum. The muffin tin says plink! plink! plink! The doggy dish says tink! tink! tink!

A young toddler makes a drum out of everything--literally. The book is written in rhyme and has a certain amount of rhythm to it. Mind you, it will never take the place of Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (the most perfectly perfect book ever). But it was an enjoyable read for me. The narration definitely worked for me. Lots of onomatopoeia throughout. Plenty of repetition--which is thematically appropriate when talking about beats and rhythm. I didn't love the art, however, art is the most subjective thing about picture books.

I personally think this would be a good board book.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers

251. Board book: Bunny Rabbit Show

The Bunny Rabbit Show! Sandra Boynton. 2014/2023. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [board book]

First sentence:  Ladies and Gentlemen.
Can you hear me?
Hello?
I just want to say...
It's THE BUNNY RABBIT SHOW!
Here we go!
We are ten terrific rabbits and we like to dance and sing.
Ten terrific rabbits. We can do most anything.
We're very good at hopping. We're hopping in a row.
We're not so good at stopping. It's the BUNNY RABBIT SHOW!

Premise/plot: It's the BUNNY RABBIT SHOW. And most of it is in song...written in near perfect rhyme with so much rhythm. It's just addictive. 

My thoughts: I personally was hearing "We are the Buddy Bears." This tune worked well for about 90% of the book. It wasn't a perfect fit, obviously. But it worked well. 

This book was cute, adorable, funny. I think it would make a great silly read aloud for little ones.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

17. Pizza and Taco: Rock Out!

Pizza and Taco: Rock Out (Pizza and Taco #5) Stephen Shaskan. 2023. [January] 72 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Taco: Check out my fave band! Pizza: Lollipop and the Popcorns? Taco: YAAAS! Pizza: Anyone can do that! 

Premise/plot: Pizza and Taco--two best friends--are back in their fifth early reader graphic novel. In this adventure, the two decide--with a little back and forth--to start their own band. But, it isn't as easy as they hoped. (And Phineas and Ferb made it look so easy!!!) Will this band break up before they've even written and practiced one song????

My thoughts: I have enjoyed this series. Pizza and Taco are such a fun duo! I enjoy the world in which they live. It's just a fun, super-silly, quirky early reader series. I don't equally love, love, love each and every book the same. (The fourth book wasn't love for me.) But overall, the series is fun and recommendable.

Adult readers will notice some puns and jokes that younger readers may not quite fully grasp.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

14. ¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! the Dance That Crossed Color Lines

¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! the Dance That Crossed Color Lines. Dean Robbins. Illustrated by Eric Velásquez. 2021. [November] 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Millie whirled.
Her arms waved and knees wriggled.
She danced to smooth jazz songs
in her Italian neighborhood.
Trumpets tooted.
Saxophones trilled.
No one danced to jazzy songs like Millie.
Pedro jumped.
His shoulders jerked and elbows jiggled.
He danced to snappy Latin songs in his Puerto Rican neighborhood.
Maracas rattled.
Congas rumbled.
No one danced to Latin songs like Pedro.

Premise/plot: Mambo Mucho Mambo is a picture book celebrating dance, music, and integration. Set in New York City in the 1940s, the book showcases how neighborhoods (of different cultures and ethnicities) came together--and DANCED together--to the new sound of Latin jazz. Soon dancing became socializing became so much more. This picture book mentions--by name--some of the couples dancing together. Millie and Pedro were a real life couple AND dance team from the time period. (Dance brought them together. AKA: They danced and danced and fell in love.) The book is told in verse.

My thoughts: After reading the book, of course I just HAD to look up the artist Machito & His Afro-Cuban Orchestra. (You can find them on Spotify. Here is a link to the Complete Columbia Masters.) There is a song called "Mambo Mucho Mambo".

I loved this one. I do enjoy a good book that celebrates music.

The illustrations were wonderful!!! 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Barnyard Boogie

Barnyard Boogie! Tim McCanna. Illustrated by Allison Black. 2017. Harry N. Abrams. 24 pages. [Source: Review copy]

 First sentence: The Barnyard Band is performing today. All the musicians are ready to play! Horse brings the tuba. Oompa Doompa Doo! Goat swings the sax. Honka wonka woo! But what can Cow do? Moo?

Premise/plot: Little ones meet the Barnyard Band in Tim McCanna's bright and bouncy picture book. The animals on the farm all have something to do in the band. But what will Cow do? How does he fit in the act?

My thoughts: I liked it. As long as there are picture books being published, there will be a new crop of farm books each year. There have been other animals-form-a-band books before, this one will fit right in.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Kat Writes a Song

Kat Writes a Song. Greg Foley. 2018. Simon & Schuster. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence:  It was a gray and rainy day. Kat was stuck indoors. She was sad because there was no one to play with. "If I write a song, maybe it will make me feel better," Kat said.

Premise/plot: Kat, the ADORABLE heroine of Greg Foley's picture book, sets out to write a song one rainy day. The name of the song she writes is the "Amazing Song to Make Things Better." A song, once written, is meant to be SHARED. And share her music she does! Will the song make things better?!

My thoughts: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one. It is adorable, sweet, and fun. I would say it had me at the end covers--which you should definitely take notice of, by the way--but in all honesty, it was the cover that got me. I didn't even have to open the book to know that it was LOVE--that I was in for quite a treat. The book did not disappoint.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

88 Instruments

88 Instruments. Chris Barton. Illustrated by Louis Thomas. 2016. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: 88! That's how many pounding, surrounding, astounding-mound-of-sounding instruments are in this shop. But...I can take lessons on only one. Not 75, or 64, or 33, or 12. "One," says Dad. "For now," says Mom. "Your pick!" says Dad. "Within reason," says Mom. How am I supposed to pick just one? Do I pick the squeeziest? The wheeziest?

Premise/plot: The narrator of 88 Instruments is having a tough time deciding on ONE instrument from the music shop. What instrument should he learn to play first? One thing is for certain, he is going to look at ALL of his options and not just pick the first thing he sees.

My thoughts: I loved this one. I loved the descriptive language. I loved the dialogue. It worked really well, in my opinion. I loved the passion and enthusiasm. Which technically I suppose you'd call the narrative voice. I thought Barton did great at capturing that magic moment.

plink! It's so clear. PLUNK. So right. PLUNNNNNNNNK! So right for me. I'm going to learn the plinkiest...the plunkiest...and, here to there, the spunkiest--the PIANO!

The illustrations are nearly (but not quite) as expressive as the text.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10



© 2017 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Be Quiet, Mike!

Be Quiet, Mike! Leslie Patricelli. 2011. Candlewick. 40 pages.

This is a story about a monkey named Mike, who started drumming as a tiny little tyke. He played with his fingers; he played with his feet--a funky little monkey with a beat, beat, beat.
Bing, bong, bing, his rhythms would sing, but poor Monkey Mike heard only one thing...
He heard it from his parents; he heard it from his sis; he heard it from the neighbors, and it sounded like this:
BE QUIET, MIKE!

At first I wasn't sure about this one. It was never a case of liking or not liking; no, it was a do I like this?, do I really like this? or do I love it? Leslie Patricelli is one of my favorite authors for young readers. I've loved--often loved, loved, loved--many of her simpler books like Higher, Higher; Tubby; Potty; Yummy Yucky; Quiet Loud; No No Yes Yes; Baby Happy Baby Sad; The Birthday Box, etc. Be Quiet, Mike definitely has more words than any of those books I just mentioned!

But the more I read Be Quiet, Mike! the more I liked it. And I think it is because of the rhythm of it. It's a simple story of a loud little monkey who has to find the right way to express himself. He finds it through music--a drum set--as you might have guessed. Anyway, there is something musical about Be Quiet, Mike. I'm not saying that it is as musical, as magical, as say Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins (one of my favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite books of all times), but it works. There is something fun about reading this one.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Play, Louis, Play

Play, Louis, Play!: The True Story of A Boy and His Horn. Muriel Harris Weinstein. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. 2010.  [December 2010] Bloomsbury. 112 pages.

There isn't a jazzman in New Orleans who hasn't tapped my brain about Louis Armstrong. They talk to me as if sugar's sprinkled on their tongue. "Hey, you knew Louis like no one else. What's the pitch, the real story?" These jazzmen know I know. I ought to. I was Little Louis' horn, the first horn he ever played.

I'm not sure a book narrated by a horn should have the word true in the title. Though that could be just me, I suppose. I love Louis Armstrong. I do. I love listening to his music. I love reading about him, too. I've read a few picture books and chapter books--some nonfiction, some fiction. I think it's wonderful that there is such a rich amount of books about jazz and jazz musicians for young readers. (Picture books, poetry books, chapter books, etc.)

Play, Louis, Play is reader-friendly, I think. The book covers the earliest years of his life--his childhood to the beginning of his success. It covers the good times and the bad times. And in his childhood, there were plenty of not-so-good times. Hunger, poverty, misdirection. But music saved Louis Armstrong in more ways than one. While I wish--I really wish--it had been told by a human narrator, the facts remain the facts. The story is interesting despite the fact that you have to suspend your disbelief from cover to cover.

Readers might also be interested in Eric Kimmel's A Horn for Louis. And I really enjoyed The Louis Armstrong You Never Knew by James Lincoln Collier.



© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Nonfiction Monday: Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!

Shake, Rattle, & Turn That Noise Down! How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me and Mom. by Mark Alan Stamaty. Random House. 40 pages.

The day I turned eight, in 1955, my parents gave me a really cool birthday present. It might not seem so great today because the world has changed so much.

This is a very personal story, a personal account, of how Elvis changed the life of this author. On his eighth birthday, Mark Alan Stamaty received an awesome gift--a radio of his very own. With this radio, Stamaty discovered rock 'n' roll music; he discovered Elvis Presley. This new discovery of his was his parents' worst nightmare--especially his mother. It was so loud, so different, so wild, so out of control. She hated it; he loved it. He wanted to buy all of Elvis' records and, well, she didn't want him to have any....until "Love and Tender" came along!

The book is written in a rather unique way. In comic book style. So it's a graphic-novel-memoir in a way. Who is it for? I've been asking that question for weeks ever since I first read this one. I don't think it's for young children. I do think older children could appreciate this one though. The graphic novel format might help a bit. But in a way I can't help thinking this one is more about nostalgia, more about reaching out to adult readers. How interested are young children in Elvis? in learning about how one person's life was "changed" by the music they heard on the radio? I'm not saying the book is irrelevant. I think it is a timeless story in a way. Of how one generation can have trouble "understanding" the next. Of how music can separate households! Of how important music is in our lives, of how it really does impact us in a lasting way. You don't have to be an "Elvis" fan to get that.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Punk Farm On Tour

Krosoczka, Jarret J. 2007. Punk Farm On Tour. Knopf.

For those that can't get enough Punk Farm, let me introduce you to Punk Farm On Tour. Sure, the book has been out a while. And plenty of you may already be good friends with Sheep and his fellow band members: Goat, Chicken, Cow, and Pig. This band is looking to take advantage of Farmer Joe's absence to go on a tour of their own. Once the broken-down van (looks eerily familiar to me) gets a makeover (inside and out) the band is on their way. But what song will be their new hit, the next big thing? Any guesses? Inspiration keeps hitting again and again as the band incorporates their road trip into the song--Wheels on the Van.

This one is a fun companion to the first book. One that I greatly enjoyed.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Punk Farm

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. 2005. Punk Farm. Knopf.

Punk Farm is almost too fun for words. Almost. It would be awful to say nothing about this one. To just assume that you know about this one. Some may already love it, may already have it memorized even... but if I can introduce at least one or two people to the book--that wouldn't have known about it otherwise--I can walk away with a sense of satisfaction.

Farmer Joe may be your typical farmer. But his animals are far from the ordinary. These are animals that know how to rock and roll. Boy, these animals know how to work a crowd! Pig plays electric guitar; goat plays his bass guitar; cow's on drums; chicken's on keyboards; and the leader of the band? The star of the show? The sheep, who's the vocal genius of the bunch. Can you guess which song they're rockin' this time? If you guessed Old MacDonald....you're right! You'll probably have to read this one yourself to see just how fun it is. But it's a party of a book.



© Becky Laney of Young Readers

He's Got The Whole World In His Hands

Have I mentioned lately how much I love and adore Kadir Nelson? Oh, I have? In my review of All God's Critters. Well, it's something worth repeating. Again and again. Maybe my enthusiasm will encourage you to seek out his works for yourself, to share his works with your children or grandchildren. They're just beautiful books. So amazingly detailed, so magically right. Looking at his books make me feel--and in this instance, it makes me feel happy. I mean how could you look at this book--even just the cover--and not smile in response???

Published in 2005, the book is a picture book of the popular spiritual song "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands." You can find the lyrics on the web, I'm sure. The brilliance of this book are the illustrations of Kadir Nelson.

Here are two page-spreads from the book:



I just love this book. The richness of the details. The charm and magic of how he has captured snapshots of humanity, of family, of life itself.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Composer Is Dead

Snicket, Lemony. 2009. The Composer Is Dead. Illustrations by Carson Ellis. Music by Nathaniel Stookey. (The book comes with a CD lasting just almost 58 minutes. The story itself comprises about thirty minutes of the CD.)

From the publisher:

The Composer Is Dead is a collaborative effort by the San Francisco Symphony, Stookey and Mr. Snicket, also allegedly known as Daniel Handler. The goal of The Composer Is Dead commission, book, and CD is to build upon the wild popularity of Mr. Snicket’s inventive humor and Stookey’s new score to introduce the orchestra to young listeners in an original and entertaining way.

The Composer Is Dead engages listeners with a gripping plot—in this case, a whodunit murder mystery—while the music and Snicket’s narration work together to provide an entertaining introduction to the instruments of the orchestra, in the vein of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

My thoughts: Wow. Maybe even super-wow. This may be the best "music-appreciation" book I've ever come across.

What is the story? An investigator (the narrator) is trying to solve a murder mystery. He is trying to figure out WHO killed the composer. Each of the instruments from the orchestra is being interrogated.

"I will begin by interviewing all the usual suspects," the Inspector said. "Like all people in his line of work, this Composer had many enemies lurking in the orchestra. They can lurk all they like, but I will find them wherever they are lurking.
I will find them if they are lurking in the strings.
I will find them if they are lurking in the brass.
I will find them if they are lurking in the woodwinds.
I will find them if they are lurking in the percussion section.
I will find them wherever--wherever they are lurking,
I will find them!"

Each instrument is giving its time in the hot seat, and in the process readers can learn a bit about each--their sound, their purpose within the orchestra at large, etc.

If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the violas.

"Well, I guess that takes care of the strings," the Inspector said, "Oh--the Violas! I forgot all about you."

"Everyone forgets about us," said the Violas bitterly. "We play the notes in the chords that nobody cares about. We play crucial countermelodies nobody hears. We often have to stay late after performances and stack up all the chairs. We spent last night feeling sorry for ourselves as usual."

This one is definitely recommended. I know I'm *mean* highlighting it now when it's not due to be released until MARCH 2009. But I just couldn't resist.

I've listened to this at least half-a-dozen times already, and I just *can't* get enough. Seriously. I wouldn't be surprised if I have this one memorized by the end of the week.

Did I mention that I love the illustrations by Carson Ellis? Well, I do. They're great.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat

Weinstein, Muriel Harris. 2008. When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.

Quick summary of this one...a girl listens (along with her mother) to Louis Armstrong on the radio and becomes interested in scat. That night in bed, she imagines having a private scat lesson (or should that be session?) with Satchmo himself. This scat session is all about bubble gum in all its gooey wonder.

This leads to some wonderfully rhythmic poetry (I'm only going to quote a bit of it. It goes on much longer than this.):

Rippety wrapper
Glittery new
Pinkety sweet
Stickety chew
Squash-itee
Stretch-itee
Gummity thick
Squooz-itee
Oooz-itee
Blowity quick!
Chew-itee
Chew-itee
Chew-itee
Chop
Crackity
Snappity
Poppity!
Pop!!!

I just loved that. Isn't it great??? There is much to love in this one. Then again, I love Louis Armstrong, so that may prejudice me a little. But I just really really enjoyed this one.

Last year, I simply fell in love with Jazz Baby. I loved, loved, loved the rhythm and the rhymes. It just worked really well. But one of the things I loved most about it were the illustrations. This book, When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat, is illustrated by the same man: the great and wonderful, R. Gregory Christie.

According to Amazon, this one doesn't release until Christmas Eve.

From the publisher:

When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat -- In a CRACKITY-SNAPPITY-POPPITY-POP bubblegum dream, a young girl learns to scat from the master himself, Louis Armstrong! Written in prose and scat with wild and wonderful illustrations by R. Gregory Christie, this joyful tribute is downright contagious. CHEW-ITEE CHEW-ITEE CHEW-ITEE CHOP, CRACKITY SNAPPITY POPPITY POP!

A former elementary school teacher, Muriel Harris Weinstein has taught children's poetry, prose, and playwriting at the United Nations School and the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts. She lives in Great Neck, New York. R. Gregory Christie is a three-time recipient of a Coretta Scott King Award in Illustration, and two of his books, Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth and Stars in Darkness, were named New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Illustrator's website.
© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Jazz Baby

Wheeler, Lisa. 2007. Jazz Baby. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.

I read this one months ago--probably back in the summer--and fell in love with it completely. I didn't only read it five or six times in a row. I read it aloud that many times. Sure, it's fun to read aloud to someone. But I was by myself. But I just couldn't get over how wonderful the words sounded. That doesn't always happen with picture books--even good picture books. Rhythm and sound can be tricky. And in my opinion, Jazz Baby is perfection. Jazz Baby is all about a family spending time together making sweet, sweet music. Brother's hands tap. Sister's hands snap. Itty-bitty Baby's hands clap-clap-clap! But this isn't just immediate family--no, there's plenty of room for everyone. Grandpa. Granny. Mama. Daddy. Auntie. Uncle. Cousins. They're all there. They're all having fun. They're just having the time of their lives. This is one of my favorite parts, I'm sharing it because I think it's a good example of how the text just works:

Mama swings high.
Daddy swings low.
Swingin'-singin' Baby says,
"Go, Man, Go!"

So they Boom-Boom-Boom
And they Hip-Hip-Hop
And the bouncin' baby boogies
with a Bop-Bop-Bop!

Really who could resist the line "bouncin' baby boogies with a bop-bop-bop"??? The whole book just is so perfect, so right. If you love Al Perkins' Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb you're going to love this one too!!!