I Got the Rhythm

April 21, 2014
These husband-wife collaborators present a book that reflects the joy and delight of an African-American girl who’s energized by the sounds, sights, and smells around her. Accompanied by her mother and eventually joined by friends, she bops through a city park—puffy pigtails bouncing and a wide grin on her face—as she uses her whole body to respond to and interpret the rhythm she detects around her. The driving beat of debut author Schofield-Morrison’s narrative is likely to have readers bouncing and tapping right along with her: “I shook a rhythm with my hips. SHAKE SHAKE. I felt the rhythm with my knees. KNOCK KNOCK.” Morrison’s (Stars in the Shadows) full-bleed oil paintings make the most of the story’s more boisterous moments. His lithe caricatures showcase rubbery limbs, chipmunk cheeks, and arching bodies as the girl breakdances in front of an admiring crowd (“I popped and locked./ I hipped and hopped”) and a spontaneous line dance erupts amid a diverse group of children. An upbeat celebration of the senses, self-expression, and camaraderie. Ages 2–6. Agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words.

May 1, 2014
The beat is all around her when a girl takes a walk in the park with her mother.On a lovely summer day, a young African-American girl in a bright pink sundress and matching sneakers sees, smells, sings, claps and snaps her fingers to an internal rhythm. As a boom box plays its song and a drummer taps his beat, neighborhood children join her in an energetic, pulsating dance culminating in a rousing musical parade. Schofield-Morrison's brief text has a shout-it-out element as each spread resounds with a two-word phrase: "I shook a rhythm with my hips. /SHAKE SHAKE"; "I tapped the rhythm with my toes. / TIP TAP." Morrison's full-bleed, textured oil paintings capture the joy of a mother and daughter in an urban park surrounded by musicians, food vendors and many exuberant children. Read this aloud with music playing loudly-not in the background. Morrison is a Coretta Scott King/New Talent Award winner, and this is a fine debut for his wife in their first collaboration.A lively celebration of music and expressive dance. (Picture book. 3-6)

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October 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-A young girl discovers a world of exuberant rhythm in her neighborhood, from the drummer in the park to playground clapping games to the subtle beat of butterfly wings. The straightforward narrative captures the engaging ways the narrator finds her own rhythm exploring the world around her. She "[hears] a rhythm with [her] ears," "[looks] at the rhythm with [her] eyes," "[catches] the rhythm with [her] hands," and much more. Ready made for storytime, Schofield-Morrison's text pulses with a beat of its own and practically demands audiences to clap along. Each double-page spread offers interactive elements that work for a range of ages, from vocabulary presenting each way the narrator catches the rhythm (hands, knees, feet, and more) to the fun readers can have joining in and keeping the rhythm with their own fingers, singing it with their own mouth, or tapping it with their own toes. Morrison's oil-on-canvas illustrations take their lead from the energetic text but form the core of the story with expansive spreads crackling with movement. A rich, color palette helps the action jump off the page, with a bright blue sky as the backdrop for the yellows and golds and greens of the setting complementing an array of pinks, especially the narrator's bright pink dress. The urban setting and varied cast of characters make this title particularly valuable, showcasing diversity as an integral part of everyday life.-Ted McCoy, Springfield City Library, MA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Preschool-K Music is everywhere in the city, but a warm summer day in the park makes it downright infectious. A young African American girl leaves the house with her mother, using all her senses to find rhythm everywhere as they walk. Before long, she has gathered the playground children for a dance routine and inspires an impromptu marching band that fills the park with a riot of sound, color, and movement. Schofield-Morrison has created a celebration of the urban environment. Though nameless, our narrator radiates charm with her puff-ball pigtails, snapping fingers, and effervescent joy at experiencing the city's sounds. The bright palette and vibrant tones of Morrison's loosely painted illustrations echo the energy of the text nicely, and Morrison employs some unusual compositions to heighten the sense of movement. With text like STOMP STOMP and BEAT BOP strewn across the pages, the book begs readers to sing and move along with this little dancer as she pops and locks, hips and hops her way through the sunny afternoon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)