Jazz Baby

With a simple clap of hands, an itty-bitty beboppin’ baby gets his whole family singing and dancing. Sister’s hands snap. Granny sings scat. Uncle soft-shoes–and Baby keeps the groove. Things start to wind down when Mama and Daddy sing blues so sweet. Now a perfectly drowsy baby sleeps deep, deep, deep.
    
Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie pair up for a celebration of music, imagination, and big families–but they know that even a jazz baby needs to snooze. Oh yeah.

One swinging, singing, hip-hop-bopping family romps with their new baby.

LISA WHEELER is the author of many irresistible read-aloud picture books. She lives near Detroit, Michigan.
 
R. GREGORY CHRISTIE is an outstanding talent in picture books and has won three Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honors. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
 

* “Wheeler’s verse scans beautifully and begs to be read aloud—danced to, even—making this a fine choice for preschool and kindergarten story times. Christie’s bold, double-paged gouache compositions locate this colorfully garbed, expressively hip family within an equally vibrant community. . . . Exultant and infectious, from the red-and-yellow-striped endpapers to the final ‘OH YEAH!” (starred review)

* “To the contagious rhythm of the text, Baby and his extended family members be-bop and hip-hop, and generally make jazzy music. “Brother’s hands tap./Sister’s hands snap./Itty-bitty Baby’s hands/CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!” Meanwhile, the youngster is passed from arm to arm, bouncing and bopping, smiling and waving, until–worn out–he allows himself to be tucked into his crib. Against stark white pages, Christie’s paintings in sepia/ochre tones highlighted with brighter shades of green, blue, violet, and red add to the happy, hoppin’ scene. The stylized African Americans with happy, expressive faces, outlined in free-form black line, dance and sway across the pages along with the words (in large and supersize font). Read aloud with a strong emphasis on the beat and a little body movement, too, this lively poetic piece will charm many a little person and provide a joyful musical experience for readers, as well.” (starred review)