Jazz baby [kit] / Lisa Wheeler ; illustrations by R. Gregory Christie.

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With a simple clap of hands, an itty-bitty beboppin' baby gets his whole family singing and dancing. Sister's hands snap. Granny sings scat. Uncle soft-shoes--and Baby keeps the groove. Things start to wind down when Mama and Daddy sing blues so sweet. Now a perfectly drowsy baby sleeps deep, deep, deep.

Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie pair up for a celebration of music, imagination, and big families--but they know that even a jazz baby needs to snooze. Oh yeah.

Author Notes

LISA WHEELER is the author of many irresistible read-aloud picture books. She lives near Detroit, Michigan.

R. GREGORY CHRISTIE is an outstanding talent in picture books and has won three Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honors. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews (5)

Publisher's Weekly Review

With a "clap-clap-clap!" and a "snap-snap-snap," the catchy rhythm of Wheeler's (Mammoths on the Move) cadenced text will instantly grab readers with its up-tempo beat: "Grandpa TOOT-TOOTS./ Granny sings scat./ Bitty-boppin' Baby goes RAT-TAT-TAT!" The fun begins as the eponymous baby awakens in his crib to Daddy taking out a record labeled "Jazz Baby." Everyone-from Sister and Brother to cousins and neighbors (in a rainbow of skin tones)-partakes in an impromptu, upbeat musical dance party, with Baby at the center. His African-American family snuggles, holds and hoofs it up with him, and, with his oversize head and large black eyes, he remains the focal point of most spreads. Christie's (Brothers in Hope) long-limbed characters with tapered hands and feet glide and bop across the pages, while bold type at slanted angles mimics their movements. In one scene with a musical staff ribboned through it, notes are configured to represent drum and bass players, and Baby holds a quarter note like a rattle. The jam session comes full-circle when Baby returns to his bed after hugs, smiles and a blues tune from Daddy. But kids won't be nearly so ready to settle down. After they hear the concluding "OH YEAH!" they're likely to clamor for repeats of this buoyant musical jaunt. Ages 3-7. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Horn Book Review

(Preschool) When Daddy puts a vinyl record labeled Jazz Baby on the turntable, the whole family gets into the sound, including the baby in his crib: "Brother's hands tap. Sister's hands snap. Itty-bitty Baby's hands CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!" The rhythmic text continues with everyone singing and dancing until finally it's a "snoozy-woozy baby" who has dropped off to sleep at last. The vitality comes through both in the lively text and the jazzy, brightly colored gouache paintings, their curves and angles highlighted in black ink. It may not be the best choice for lulling a real-life baby to sleep, but it is a rousing celebration of music and family.From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

This stylish, retro offering has rhythm and bounce from first line (Brother's hands tap. / Sister's hands snap. / Itty-bitty Baby's hands / CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!) to last. Punctuated by Jazz Baby's joyous enthusiasm, the percussive text scans like a musical dream, a nearly flawless scat on music, dance, and the contagious joy of jazz. Christie's gouache illustrations in a sixties palette of olive, gold, and brick feature characters with fluid bodies and mobile faces that fill the images with movement and energy. The text itself is part of the composition, moving in and out of the action. Images break the borders of the pages, with half-on, half-off characters and partial views varying the perspectives and keeping the pages lively. Baby's clap-clap-clap sets off a party that spreads from apartment to street, from Mom and Dad to cousins, neighbors, and friends. Although some children may need an explanation of the antique record player pictured, this is a dance party of a book, a jazzy treat to read and view.--Del Negro, Janice Copyright 2007 Booklist

School Library Journal Review

PreS-To the contagious rhythm of the text, Baby and his extended family members be-bop and hip-hop, and generally make jazzy music. "Brother's hands tap./Sister's hands snap./Itty-bitty Baby's hands/CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!" Meanwhile, the youngster is passed from arm to arm, bouncing and bopping, smiling and waving, until-worn out-he allows himself to be tucked into his crib. Against stark white pages, Christie's paintings in sepia/ochre tones highlighted with brighter shades of green, blue, violet, and red add to the happy, hoppin' scene. The stylized African Americans with happy, expressive faces, outlined in free-form black line, dance and sway across the pages along with the words (in large and supersize font). Read aloud with a strong emphasis on the beat and a little body movement, too, this lively poetic piece will charm many a little person and provide a joyful musical experience for readers, as well.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

A snappy rhyming text celebrates an extended family's joyous gyrations to the jazz spinning on the turntable. From waking to sleep, Baby's right in the thick of it, as siblings, grandparents and cousins move and groove: "So they BOOM-BOOM-BOOM / and they HIP-HIP-HOP / and the bouncin' baby boogies with a BOP-BOP-BOP." Wheeler's verse scans beautifully and begs to be read aloud--danced to, even--making this a fine choice for preschool and kindergarten story times. Christie's bold, double-paged gouache compositions locate this colorfully garbed, expressively hip family within an equally vibrant community. As Baby's big dark eyes get glassy with fatigue, the party winds down. "Daddy sings blues. / Mama sings sweet. / While that snoozy-woozy baby . . . / . . . sleeps deep, deep, deep." Exultant and infectious, from the red-and-yellow-striped endpapers to the final "OH YEAH!" (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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