Jazz

This book takes lyrics from existing jazz songs and places them with pictures. The illustrations are done very creatively with paint and ink. Each illustration seems to link directly to the text it is matched with. Christopher Myers did a great job at choosing images that would link to the text,

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yet still drive curiosity and a sense of history. He is able to portray the strong history, culture and emotion behind jazz music though facial expressions, instruments used, and people he has chosen to represent.

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I really enjoyed this book the artwork was wonderful, it was bold and really pulled that jazz feeling out of the poems. All of the poems were jazz themed and styled. Since I am not very knowledgeable about jazz I cannot say if any of the poems/songs were classics or not. I think that it is a great

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way to expose readers to jazz music and to show the connections that poetry and music can have. Jazz is another great book to use to get students reading poetry, which helps them with their reading skill in regards to fluency and expression.

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This book is a tribute to the African-American tradition of jazz music, written in fifteen fun, rhythmic poems meant to evoke the sounds of various kinds of jazz. The poems speak of different instruments, musicians, and singers, and would be a great introduction into the world of African-American

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music for children. The book also includes an introduction giving a brief history of jazz music, a glossary of jazz terms, and a jazz timeline spanning the 1800s to the present.
Libraries could use this book as part of a children's program on music. The poems would be extremely fun to read in a story-time format, and, the introduction, glossary, and timeline are extremely informative, but written accessibly for younger readers.

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This collection of 15 beautifully written and illustrated poems brings the reader great pleasure while reading it. Among the 15, there were a few that I really enjoyed. Among them are; "Good-bye To Old Bob Johnson," "Session II," and "Oh, Miss Kitty."

In "Good-bye To Old Bob Johnson," the poem

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rhymes wonderfully and potrays the solemn emotional feeling that one gets from the music at a funeral. With the turn of the page however, the reader discovers the music Bob Johnson is hearing on his way to heaven to be happy and full of dancing. I love how music is portrayed emotionally in this poem. The poem exemplifies how music can be used in times of sorrow and in times of joy.

In "Session II," we read of a man playing with a band, whose baby's gone and left him. He too is providing himself an emotional outlet with the saxophone, trombone, piano, and drums. He feels his pain in the music.

Finally, "Oh, Miss Kitty," is about a man playing his instrument and watching a women move to his music. He finds the woman appealing and feels as though she's been dancing since the day she was born. You get a sense that the man is flooded with emotion as he watches Miss Kitty feel the music in her body.

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Personal Response:

I thought this was a beautiful book, and the poetry on the pages is wonderful. However, I think there might be a bit too many words each page for kids to process (or more than they want to process).

Classroom/Library uses:

This would be a great book for a music teacher to

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incorporate into his or her curriculum. This would also go nicely with studies dealing with the African-American experience in the United States. Since Jazz music is so lyrical and poetic, it could also go along with English studies.

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Personal Response:

Jazz and Blues Journey, both written and illustrated by Myers and his son, are excellent companions. Both have explanations of how the music came out of African and European traditions to make something uniquely American.

Curricular or Programming Connections:

The book could work

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for any age group

Studies of American music, African-American life

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A poetry book about the different aspects of Jazz music. Would be great to use in a lesson either about different kinds of music or when talking about different kind of poetry. The illustrations are also very well done and give the book another aspect of being able to see the different aspects of

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Jazz.

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Jazz is a collection of poetry that the author has dedicated to the people of New Orleans. The poems have a jazz rhythm while reading it. These poems circulate around famous musicians that made jazz music popular and also starting the basis for music. This would be a great book to share in the

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classroom, especially to students in New Orleans.

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Walter Dean Myers' poetry captures the spirit of jazz and New Orleans in Jazz. The poetry mimics the rhythm and beat of jazz while Christopher Myers' illustrations embody the colorful passion of the musicians and fans. This book could be used for many grade levels and introduces students to poetry

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and art in a accessible and understandable form

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This book is a collection of poems talking about the many different types of Jazz. This would be a good book to incorporate in a classroom because it introduces a very large part of New Orleans culture, but through poetry. I also liked how this book has a Jazz terminology glossary in the back of

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the book to reference.

*Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winne

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An impressionistic celebration of jazz music in fifteen beautifully illustrated poems. Award winning writer Walter Dean Myers captures the passion and essence of the music from it's earliest African roots to the the most sophisticated modern style. Perfectly complimenting his words are the painted

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illustrations of his son Christopher Myers. His stylized but elegant portraits give us glimpses of recognizable subjects (e.g.Dizzy Gillespie's puffed cheeks, Miles Davis' unique stance) while never resorting to caricature.
The language is lively, onomatopoeic and should appeal to young readers if read aloud with enthusiasm even if, as is likely, they have no previous knowledge of or interest in jazz. If your intention is to introduce the subject to a young reader, you could hardly choose better.
"Jazz" has recieved the following awards:
Books of the Year Winner 2006 8 to 12 Years
Coretta Scott King Book Award Honor Book 2007 Illustrator
Cybils Finalist 2006 Poetry
The Golden Kite Award Award Book 2006 Picture Book
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Winner 2007
NAACP Image Award Nominee 2007 Outstanding Literary Work-Poetry
Lion and Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry Honor Book 2006

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The poem is dedicated to the children of New Orleans. Jazz is the heart of New Orleans music and this poem really captures that. Through the poems, the rhythm of jazz is captured. I loved the big illustrations and sometimes I had to turn the book sideways to read the poem which was different but

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exciting. Each page has a person playing an instrument so I would try to imagine that type of background music. I also liked the glossary and time line.

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This is a story that was chosen because it is an Award Winning Picture book and it has some amazing illustrations. The book itself is telling the story of jazz's history through cool pictures and interesting text. Even the way the lettering is set up and how it flows across the page and links into

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each illustration. Awesome book that also has a whole lot of history in it. Great for a group/class reading.

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Poetry and jazz. Beautiful.

Bright painterly illustrations by Christopher Myers set the scene for his father’s poetry. It’s poetry that catches the rhythm of the uniquely American music as it sings of its history and variations. To the marvelous picture book James "D-Train" Williams and Vaneese Thomas sing and recite the

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lyrics accompanied by band playing what they sing about.

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Jazz by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Christopher Dean Myers is a vivid picture book of rhythmic poetry that describes the history of Jazz. The book covers the first formation of Jazz and different type of Jazz such as Bebop, Blues, and New Orleans Jazz. There are poems and colorful beautiful

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illustrations about the instruments used in Jazz: the piano, bass, and horns. These that could be found in this jazzy picture book is Jazz History, African American music and Types of Jazz, instruments, and vocals.

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