Lorraine

August 15, 2018
This rhyming, do-si-do-inducing story relates how Lorraine and her grandfather weather a Tennessee storm with music while uncovering a mystery plaguing their farm.Fearless Lorraine, who has bright brown eyes and a head full of curly ringlets, loves to play her pennywhistle with her overalls-wearing, harmonica-playing, "pitchforkin' Pa Paw." (Emphasizing just how much the two love to make music together, Bond superimposes the sheet music of songs onto the illustrations in which Pa Paw and Lorraine play or sing.) For no apparent reason, shiny objects begin to disappear from around the farm: the breakfast bell, Pa Paw's keys to the barn gate, a tin scoop, and even both their instruments. When a violent electrical storm and what appears to be a tornado tear through the farm, Lorraine feels afraid, but she and Pa Paw don't even have their instruments for comfort. They do have their voices, though. Serendipitously, the freshly fallen "Chinkypin tree" reveals both the whereabouts of the shiny objects and the thief. Bond's photorealistic acrylic illustrations bring the expansive landscapes and barnscapes to life while also emphasizing the close intergenerational relationship between the African-American duo.This not-to-be-missed story appeals to the ear as much as it does to the eye as Lorraine shows readers that music can make any situation more enjoyable. (Picture book. 4-8)

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September 10, 2018
Musician Secor deftly mines his songwriting talent in this paean to music and family bonds. Lorraine, an African-American girl, joyfully accompanies her harmonica-playing grandfather, Pa Paw, on her penny whistle, “And even when storms hit those Tennessee hills,/ the music they played/ made their worries stand still.” She is tickled when a crow touches down and dances to their tune—and perplexed when both instruments and other shiny objects disappear just before a fierce electrical storm strikes. Pa Paw assuages Lorraine’s fears of weathering the storm without her spirits-lifting whistle, and the two raise their voices in soothing song. Bond (the A Place For series) captures the narrative’s melody and changeable moods in luminous paintings featuring precisely rendered feathers, blades of grass, and emotive facial expressions. Adding a playful note of mystery to the story, whose text incorporates various fonts and type colors, the collaborators refrain from identifying the instrument thief, but keen-eyed kids will catch on. Ages 4–8. Agent: Valerie Borchardt, Georges Borchardt Inc.

October 1, 2018

K-Gr 3-Roots musician Secor uses his experience with rhythm and rhyme to tell this story of an African American girl and her grandfather in rural Tennessee. Set sometime in the indeterminate past, the story follows the pair as they spend time making music, he on a harmonica and she with a penny whistle. "Even when storms hit those Tennessee hills, the music they played made their worries stand still." When shiny things around the house begin to go missing, they are curious; and one night, during a storm, they discover that their beloved instruments have disappeared, too. How will they get through the storm without the distraction of making music? By singing, of course. After the storm, a fallen tree exposes all the missing items, stolen and then hidden by a crow. Bond's realistic paintings skillfully evoke Lorraine's spirit and the loving relationship she shares with her Pa Paw. VERDICT This bouncy tribute to Southern folkways and intergenerational relationships is an additional purchase.-Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2018
Preschool-G This tale features a lilting, rhyming text from Secor, member of the Grammy-winning band Old Crow Medicine Show, and beautiful, lifelike acrylic paintings by acclaimed illustrator Bond, which give the story a timeless feel. It tells of a brave African American girl and her loving pa, for whom music is an integral part of their Tennessee farming life: Oh the RUCKUS they raised / when the workday grew dark! / With Lorraine on her whistle / and Pa Paw on his harp. / The songs they sang always lifted their spirits? / on good days or bad it was JOYFUL to hear it. One night a bad storm hits, and just when they need them most, their instruments go missing. But they have music inside themselves, too, and once they sing the storm away, perhaps some keen-eyed crows (and readers) can help them spot their missing belongings. With its bold trim size, varying layout, and clear, dynamic print, this musical, folkloric story is a delightful read-aloud.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)