Swing Sisters

February 16, 2015
When Dr. Laurence Clifton Jones started a school band for orphaned African-American girls in 1939 Mississippi, he couldn’t have known it would lead to the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, one of the few all-female (not to mention multiracial) bands of the 1940s. Deans candidly describes the barriers the Sweethearts faced as a result of Jim Crow laws (“The white girls had to pretend to be black or they could be arrested”), while Cepeda’s chalky, jewel-toned paintings create an atmosphere of warmth and intimacy. A heartening tribute to a group of pioneering, dedicated musicians. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

December 1, 2014
Women! Jazz! Integration!In 1909, Dr. Laurence Clifton Jones founded a school and orphanage for black children in Mississippi, and in 1939, he started an all-girl swing band: the Sweethearts of Rhythm. Swing "was filled with energy!" The girls performed locally and throughout the country. In 1945, they played to enthusiastic soldiers as part of a USO tour brought about by a letter-writing campaign from African-American GIs. Writing in a folksy style, Deans describes the lives of the girls in the orphanage and on the road in Jim Crow territory; this, ironically, was made even more difficult after the band integrated. The infectious joy of swing music comes across nicely with details about instrumentation and performances. A scary encounter with the police is also described. Cepeda's colorful and richly textured full-bleed acrylic-and-oil paintings match the mostly upbeat mood with illustrations of the women happily playing various instruments, joyfully askew compositions evoking the big-band beat. The group did not stay together, but the final illustration opens the way for more music as a now-elderly Sweetheart hands over her trumpet to a smiling girl. Readers will certainly want to grab recordings and dance and swing to the sounds. An appealing and informative composition aimed at a younger audience than Marilyn Nelson and Jerry Pinkney's Sweethearts of Rhythm (2009). (author's note, selected bibliography) (Informational picture book. 6-9)

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January 1, 2015

Gr 2-5-The groundbreaking interracial, all-female jazz band gets a nice call out in this vibrant informational picture book. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm got their start in 1939 at the Piney Woods Country Life School in Jackson, MS, as a school band created by Dr. Laurence Clifton Jones, who founded the institution for orphans in 1909. The African American students embraced and excelled at swing music, performing in churches, halls, and schools until they branched out on their own, touring on their bus "Big Bertha" and with a chaperone Rae Lee Jones. When the group integrated, taking on musicians of many races and nationalities, it faced discrimination, especially in the Jim Crow South. The young women garnered international acclaim, even traveling to Europe in the 1940s to play for the American soldiers fighting overseas. Deans's text shines a light on the racial, social, and gender boundaries the band crossed, while emphasizing the bond of sisterhood that these girls created because of their talent, mutual struggle, and love of swing. The often wordy narrative comes off a little dry at times, reading a little too much like a textbook. However, Cepeda's oil and acrylic paint illustrations offset the tepid text, and the textured images appear as if they might reverberate off the page at any moment. Each sister is infused with her own personality and style. An inspirational tale to be lauded during curriculum units on women's, African American, and jazz history, this work should be shared with readers not yet ready for Sweethearts of Rhythm by Marilyn Nelson (Dial, 2009).-Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2015
Grades 1-3 In 1909, Dr. Laurence Clifton Jones started a school for African American orphans in Mississippi. But Dr. Clifton wanted the children at Piney Woods to learn more than the basics, so in 1939, he started a school band for the girls called the Sweethearts. Little did he know he was setting in motion a swing band that would travel the world. Although the text, especially in the beginning, is heavy on exposition, it loosens up as the music takes center stage. The oil-and-acrylic artwork also gets the book jumping as the band wails on their instruments and couples hotfoot across the pages. More than just a history of the band, this takes on a larger picture, including Jim Crow laws and how the Sweethearts helped break down both gender and racial barriers. By the time the band had renamed itself the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, they were even invited by the USO to travel throughout Europe in 1945 to entertain the troops (whether the audience was integrated is not mentioned). An appealing piece of American history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)