This Jazz Man

October 23, 2006
Setting her ode to nine jazz giants to the rhythm of "This Old Man," newcomer Ehrhardt playfully substitutes the onomatopoeic sounds of their instruments (or Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's tapping feet) for the standard "knick knack paddy-whack" refrain. Drummer Art "Bu" Blakey, for example, is the jazz man who plays six: "He plays solos with his sticks,/ With a bomp-bomp! Bubbuda-bomp!
/ Give the man a hand,/ This jazz man beats with the band." In each energized mixed-media spread, Roth, also making his children's book debut, features a figure—Dizzy, Bird and Satchmo among them—in dapper mismatched clothing, swinging against white backgrounds bordered in cheerful stripes styled like awnings and bandstands. Roth's painted display type cavorts across the spreads, extending each verse's third line with more syncopated syllables. Performers are not identified until the endnotes, which pair brief bios with spot illustrations. Other jazz-themed children's books go into more detail, but the candy-colored collages burst from the pages, making this addition just right as an uptempo introduction for youngest music lovers. Ages 3-7.

December 1, 2006
Gr 1-5-Using a lively version of the childrens song This Old Man, this book introduces famous African-American jazz musicians as it counts to nine. Louis Armstrong is number 1. This jazz man, he plays one, /He plays rhythm with his thumb, /With a Snap! Snap! Snazzy-snap!/Give the man a hand, /This jazz man scats with the band. The illustrations give clues to the performers, and the end matter has a biographical sketch for each one. In the final spread, all of the musicians are together, taking bows: These jazz men make one great band! The energetic collage illustrations introduce the action by picturing bold striped curtains encompassing an empty stage set up with jazz instruments; each performers subsequent spread has striped borders. Onomatopoeic words spill across the pages in imitation of the musics sounds. The book is fun for jazz aficionados and neophytes alike. Children will enjoy the sounds and illustrations and sing along without needing to know more."Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2006
Ehrhardt moves the traditional counting chant "This Old Man" to the jazz club in this infectious, rhythmic offering. Each page features a different jazz musician who plays "rhythm with his thumb," makes "music with his shoes," and so on. The rhyming text scans with a smooth, toe-tapping tempo that's nicely extended by the colorful, mixed-media images, arranged in compositions that have their own staccato beat. Bars of striped color slide across page edges, and stylized African American musicians, rendered in geometric shapes and textured prints, send up "notes that rise to heaven." Children will want to shout along with the scat-cat rhythms ("Beedle-di-Bop! Bebop!") that replace the original chant's "paddy-whack" refrain and are printed in colorful letters that punctuate the artwork. This will appeal most to preschoolers and kindergarteners, but older children will appreciate the closing section, which reveals that the featured musicians represent real-life jazz legends, including Charles Mingus and Charlie Parker. A short biography of each is appended. A welcome introduction to the world of jazz.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)