HOT JAZZ SPECIAL

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!/ ba-dum-de-dum-dum / geeks and groovers!/ boom-da-boom-tschh." While some may find the pages busy, others will discover a feast for the eyes. Hannah incorporates symbols into the backgrounds for each personality: for Louis Armstrong and his famous cornet, a Louisiana showboat and a pot of gumbo. One spread is devoted to attire, including loafers, a beret, straw [hat] and zoot suit ("It's good to take five and check the threads on jazz street"). Two pages of brief biographies and specific recommended songs plus the text of the entire poem close out this zippy overview of the jazz age, and the dust jacket itself opens up as a poster advertisement: "Playing tonight at Body & Soul... Duke Ellington and his Hot 8." Ages 6-10. (Mar.)