Song in the City

Using a white cane, a blind child named Emmalene, who cues as Black, navigates her city home with her distracted grandmother, describing “a sing-along song,/ a busy city symphony” en route to church. Lively rhymes by Bernstrom (Big Papa and the Time Machine) emphasize the musicality of all Emmalene hears on the Sunday morning trip: as Emmalene and her grandmother head to the bus, Emmalene asks her grandma, “Did you hear that pretty ditty?” But Grandma Jean doesn’t appreciate the same sounds: “What you’re hearing is commotion./ Oh, my child, what a notion!/ That is traffic you are hearing, not a song.” When Grandma Jean prefers the church’s choir to the “backhoe drumming... city sirens humming... clap-clap-clapping of the pitter-patting rain,” Emmalene conveys frustration until, finally, Grandma Jean sits down in a pew and promises to listen: “The song and city filled Grandma Jean’s ears.” In blocks of color reminiscent of stained glass, illustrations by Mohammed (Super Mom) emphasize robust motion and reverberating sounds, centering the way Emmalene perceives the world—dogs barking, a bus engine rumbling, a marching band marching, and more—combining with onomatopoeic text to create an adventurous symphony for the senses. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. Illustrator’s agent: Christy Ewers, CAT Agency. (Sept.)