Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson: Taking the Stage as the First Black and White Jazz Band in History by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome

Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson traces the very different backgrounds of two very talented musicians who eventually met and formed the first interracial trio to play in public.

In the 1920s, Jazz was the music of the moment.  Benny Goodman, the son of Jewish immigrants and living in Chicago, learned to play the clarinet when he and his brothers were signed up for free lessons at their synagogue and playing in its marching band, but he much preferred the exciting sounds of Jazz.

Teddy Wilson, the son of music educators living in Tuskegee, Alabama, learned to play the piano, the oboe, the violin and the piano as a child, dutifully practicing classical music, but he, too, preferred the cool Jazz sounds of Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Earl Hines.

As men, both continued to play in different venues around the country, earning the admiration and respect of their fellow Jazz musicians.  But the stage was a segregated world, and it was only in jam sessions offstage that musicians from different races could play together.  Then one day, in Forest Hills, Queens, NY, their two men met and it was kismet - two different men who thought the same way musically.

Along with Gene Krupa, the Benny Goodman Trio was formed and beautiful music was made. There was just one problem - Goodman was reluctant to play onstage with a black musician.  But finally he said yes, and not just music, but history was made.  And people loved their sound!  Lionel Hampton later joined them and the trio became a quartet.

Can you tell I love this book?  Well, I love music, especially Jazz and Swing.  And the husband and wife duo of author Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrator James Ransome has done a suburb job of making the story of these two great musicians accessible to young readers.  The snappy language used to tell the story along with illustrations in cool blues and hot yellows make reading Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson feel like you are listening to a good Jazz performance.

There is plenty of back matter giving more information on Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson, a Jazz timeline focused on these two men, and a who's who in Jazz, including all the musicians mentioned in the book.  This is such an excellent addition to the growing body of Picture Books for Older Readers that are ideal for introducing young readers to new people and events.

I've often wished that there were books like this around when my Kiddo was young.  Every time I tried to introduce her to things like Jazz, Swing, Classical, even Classic Rock, I met resistance.  But as she grew older, she began to embrace these different musical genres and significantly expanded her musical appreciation and seriously wanted to know why didn't I ever tell her about this great music?
 
This book is for readers aged 7+
This book was purchased for my personal library

Here is the original Benny Goodman Quartet performing one of their biggest hits Sing, Sing, Sing in 1973.

It's Nonfiction Monday!

This is book 3 of my 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Reading Challenge hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy

Flight of the Honey Bee by Raymond Huber, illustrated by Brian Lovelock

 By now, we have all heard about how honey bees are disappearing and hives are collapsing at alarming rates and what a disaster that can be for mankind.  After all, bees are the best pollinators in the world.

So it is not surprising that a number of books for young readers have come out recently about bees.  Perhaps in the hope that if we educate young readers about the importance of bees, we, or really, they may be able to help reverse the trend and stop bee disappearance and death.

Flight of the Honey Bee is one of the new bee books to come out and it is a charming, informative look at the life of one honey bee named Scout.

Follow Scout as she flies out of the safety of the hive in search of pollen and nectar.  As Scout searches for just the right flowers to gather what she needs to bring back to the hive for the winter, we discover all kinds of interesting facts about honey bees in general.

Did you know that are hairy all over so they can sense changes in wind?  Or that a bee can travel as far as five hundred miles to find flowers?  And while we may want to avoid a bee sting, honey bees only sting when they feel threatened.

These are just some of the interesting facts that you can learn about as you fly along with Scout on her mission.  Raymond Huber has written a nonfiction book for the youngest readers that is both entertaining and informative.  And he does include ways that we can help rejuvenate bees and pollination before they die out.

Flight of the Honey Bee is delightfully yet precisely illustrated in watercolor, acrylic ink and colored pencil and gives us an up close and personal view of a honey bee's life.  Writer Raymond Huber, who is also a beekeeper, and illustrator Brian Lovelock are scientists as well, and their genuine interest and concern shine through this wonderful book.  Together these two talented New Zealanders have created a book that can be enjoyed by everyone interested in our saving our world.

I loved this book and I learned a lot about bees and how they make honey.  And the next time I stir a spoonful of honey into my tea, you can be I will remember that one jar of honey requires bees to harvest nectar from more than 2 million flowers.

This book is recommended for readers age 3+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

Nonfiction Monday Roundup is hosted this week by NC Teacher Stuff

This is book 12 of my 2013 Nonfiction Picture Book Reading Challenge hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy

Three Books that Introduce Kids to Nature

Nature holds all kinds of wondrous things for us to learn about.  But sometimes good books about nature written with younger readers in mind and that are also fun and informative are hard to find.  However, Sylvan Dell has risen to the task by producing a whole line of books to meet the challenge.  Below are just three examples:

On the Move: Mass Migrations 
written by Scotti Cohn
illustrated by Susan Detwiler

Introduces kids to how, when, why and where different animals sudden seem to be on the move, looking for a new place to live. Sometimes it is because of weather, sometimes to reproduce, sometimes they need a change of venue.  Realistic illustrations accompany the text and there are 4 pages of learning activities for kids to do to learn more.

Animal Helpers: Sanctuaries
written by Jennifer Keats Curtis

Sometimes wild animals that are kept as pets get too big to handle, or hurt or sick and need to find a safe place to call home.  Kids are introduced to the work of 6 different sanctuaries that care for these now unwanted animals.  The text is enhanced with photographs of each sanctuary and there are 4 pages of learning activities that kids can do learn more about these animals and the sanctuaries the provide them with a new forever home.

Nature Recycles: How About You?
written by Michelle Lord
illustrated by Cathy Morrison

It seems that Nature is a natural recycler/repurposer, and can teach humans a thing or two about following its lead.  Here, kids can see how a variety of animals recycle around the world and realistically illustrated examples of how they can do it, too. The book also includes 4 pages of activities to help teach how, why and the importance of recycling.



Each of these books is a wonderful read aloud that can be used in a classroom, home schooling situation or to read with a parent or sibling, after which they do the activities suggested or even come up with some of there own.  Luckily, there are lots more interesting titles in this series of fun, educational books for young readers, some are even available in Spanish, so you will most likely find someone that will appeal to everyone.

All these books are recommended for readers age 4+
These books were borrowed from a friend.

Nonfiction Monday is hosted this week by Shelf-employed

Brick by Brick by Charles R. Smith, Jr. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

We see pictures of the White House everyday in newspapers, magazines, on televison.  We use it as a metonym when we say the White House meaning the president and/or his staff.  But how often do we think about how or by whom the White House was built.

Brick by Brick is about the first White House that was built for the new president of the United States, George Washington, back in 1792.  It was a big job and required a lot of workers.  Local workers were hired as well as free blacks, but when that wasn't enough, slaves were used:

Black hands,
white hands,
free hands,
slave hands.

 But while everyone else was paid for their labor, slaves were hired out by their masters who collected their pay and kept it for themselves:

Slave hands saw
twelve hours a day,
but slave owners take
slave hand's pay.

But as new skills are learned, some slaves were able to receive pay and to save to buy their freedom:

Slave hand build

and slave hands save

shillings to be free

and no longer a slave.

The story of the slave labor in Brick by Brick is written in sparse verse, with four lines to a stanza, repetitiously using the word slave yet it paints am incredibly vivid picture of the blood, sweat and hard work that these men and boys were forced to do by their masters.   What makes this such an outstanding book is that Smith uses the names of real slaves he discovered while doing the research for Brick by Brick.  In this way, he humanizes them for us, turns them into real people rather than allowing them to remain a nameless, faceless, anonymous people, easy to overlook, easy to hurt and easy forget about.

And just as Smith's words give the slaves an identity, the illustrations give them a face, making the job all the more real and the workers all the more human for the reader.  The illustrations were done by Floyd Cooper, one of my favorite illustraters.   Cooper's oil wash paintings, done in earth tones, makes us feel the hot sun burning down on the workers, the sweat running down their bodies, the pain in their arms and legs, the blisters and aching back and muscles that must have plagued these men and boys day in and day out.

Brick by Brick is a poignant narrative that should be read aloud to appreciate its full impact and meaning.  It is a book that should not be missed by anyone interested in American history and/or African American history.  Be sure to read the author's note at the back of the book that explains why slaves were used to build the White House.

Nonfiction Monday is a weekly event hosted this week at Sally's Bookshelf

This is book 7 of my 2013 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy

Tito Puente: Mambo King - Rey del Mambo by Monica Brown, illustrated by Rafael López

Tito Puente was a great musician and a real New York City fixture.  And now, Monica Brown has written a colorful picture book about him and his music for young readers, and the best part is that it is bilingual so that it is accessible to both English and Spanish readers - children and their parents, since this is a wonderful read-aloud book.

Monica Brown is no stranger to writing bilingual biographies of important and influential Latinos.  She has written My Name is Celia: the Life of Celia Cruz, My Name is Gabito: the Life of Gabriel Gracia Márquez and Pelé, King of Soccer, among others.  Tito Puente: Mambo King is her most recent biography and tells the story of Puente's muscial life, which began at home in Spanish Harlem NYC, tapping out a musical beat on pots and pans as a toddler, and how he went on from there to become a band leader and five time Grammy winner.  Brown focuses the book only on Puente and his musical achievements as a well-known, well-respected Latino musician, leaving out the details of his personal life which might detract from that.  

Maybe I am a little biased because I grew up hearing Puente's music, but this is a book I can't recommend enough.  There are few enough good bilingual books out there and even fewer good read-aloud books, but Tito Puente: Mambo King is a real standout.

And, at a time when so many music programs are being cut from school budgets, books like this can really help a classroom teacher introduce students to various artists and the music they play.  Just time of the possibilities!

One of the things I really love in a picture book is when the text and illustrations reflect each other and feel totally connected and that is really the case here.  The illustrations by Rafael López are bright bold and colorful and as musical as the salsa music Puente played and the words that Brown used to describe it.

To get the real flavor of Tito Puente: Mambo King, listen to Brown and López describe the book themselves:

So, grab this book, make a nice Puente playlist for some real background ambiance and enjoy!

This book is recommended for readers age 4+

This book was Morningside Heights Branch of the NYPL

Nonfiction Monday is hosted this week by Andromeda at A Wrung Sponge

This is book 3 of my 2013 Nonfiction Picture Book Reading Challenge hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy