First steps on the long and winding road.
Four Liverpool lads determinedly dope out how to play their instruments and then make beautiful music together just in time for…Beatlemania!
Reich tells the oft-told tale one Beatle at a time—starting with John and ending with Ringo. She covers working-class origins, early love of rock ’n’ roll, learning how to play through trial and error (“[John] didn’t give a fig about wrong notes”), the formation of the Quarrymen, the watershed gig in Germany, and the release of the first singles. Gustavson (Sebastian Robertson’s Rock and Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story, 2014) keeps his focus on the Fab Four (Stuart Sutcliffe, Pete Best, and “Mr. Martin” get name checks but no face time) and traces their visual transformation from scruffy amateurs to dapper moppets. Reich leaves them not only poised for greatness, having “poured hundreds of hours of sweat, love, and teenage energy into their music,” but also “best of friends.” It’s an idealized picture, especially considering what came after; Kathleen Krull’s The Beatles Were Fab (And They Were Funny), illustrated by Stacey Innerst (2013), covers the group’s entire career, albeit in a nostalgic vein. Still, young readers may be intrigued by this grand and archetypal tale, and the closing cornucopia of Beatles books, audio, video, and websites will also help to fill in the blanks.
First steps on the long and winding road. (author’s note, endnotes, glossary) (Picture book/biography. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9458-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape.
The fourth installment in Delacre’s early-reader series centers on the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico, once again featuring sibling tree frogs Rafi and Rosi Coquí.
Readers learn along with Rafi and Rosi as they explore bomba, plena, and salsa in three chapters. A glossary at the beginning sets readers up well to understand the Spanish vocabulary, including accurate phoneticization for non-Spanish speakers. The stories focus on Rafi and Rosi’s relationship within a musical context. For example, in one chapter Rafi finds out that he attracts a larger audience playing his homemade güiro with Rosi’s help even though he initially excluded her: “Big brothers only.” Even when he makes mistakes, as the older brother, Rafi consoles Rosi when she is embarrassed or angry at him. In each instance, their shared joy for music and dance ultimately shines through any upsets—a valuable reflection of unity. Informational backmatter and author’s sources are extensive. Undoubtedly these will help teachers, librarians, and parents to develop Puerto Rican cultural programs, curriculum, or home activities to extend young readers’ learning. The inclusion of instructions to make one’s own homemade güiro is a thoughtful addition. The Spanish translation, also by Delacre and published simultaneously, will require a more advanced reader than the English one to recognize and comprehend contractions (“pa’bajo-pa-pa’rriba”) and relatively sophisticated vocabulary.
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-89239-429-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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