HOT JAZZ SPECIAL
Jonny Hannah, . . Candlewick, $16.99 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-7636-2308-1
In this upbeat poetic homage to the jazz era, Hannah's debut, Henry, "the boy who cleans this joint," leads readers on a sensory tour of the happening Body & Soul café. Full-bleed spreads and font-changing lyrics introduce the self-proclaimed inventor of jazz, Jelly Roll Morton, at the piano, guitarist Django Reinhardt, a blue-hued Billie Holiday with voice raised in song, and Charlie Bird Parker coaxing tunes from his sax—among others. The text exudes the be-bop sounds of the music. For example, the vertical center spread depicts Gene Krupa on drums and Benny Goodman on his clarinet (Goodman's name curves along the top of the page like flashing lights) while, below, the text appears in alternating bands of red, white and blue: "boys and girls!/
Reviewed on: 04/18/2005
Genre: Children's