A celebration of music and movement, this story in verse is inspired by the riffs, rhythms, and freedom of jazz.
Colorful spreads show close-ups of children playing drums, piano, and bass as they swing, sway, and jitterbug to the music. Weatherford offers an appealing and rhythmic text just right for young children. Freeman’s colorful, contemporary illustrations have real child appeal, and invite every child to find herself or himself in the story. Jazz Baby is an exciting way to introduce young children to the instruments and rhythms of jazz.
Carole Boston Weatherford is a poet and writer of numerous children's books, including Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, Dear Mrs. Rosenwald, The Sound That Jazz Makes, and Lee & Low's Jazz Baby and Juneteenth Jamboree. She is a contributing poet to In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall, also published by Lee & Low Books. Weatherford was an NAACP Image Award finalist for her book The Sound That Jazz Makes. She lives in High Point, North Carolina, with her husband and their children.
Laura Freeman has illustrated more than thirty picture books, including the picture-book edition of Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, which won both the NAACP Image Award and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award, and Jazz Baby and Bedtime Fun, both published by Lee & Low's Bebop Books imprint. Laura lives near Atlanta, Georgia, and you can find her on the web at lfreemanart.com.
"[A] lively celebration that toddlers will dance for."
"Jazz Baby is a bouncy, rhyming read aloud, just the right size for little hands or small group sharing. . . Vibrant watercolors illustrate toddlers dancing to the beat and finally settling down for a satisfied after-party slumber. Pair with Charlie Parker Played be bop (Orchard, 1992) for a snazzy, jazzy preschool story time."
"Maybe Jazz Baby will help spark a revival! Beyond its own merits as a cute, fun book, hopefully Jazz Baby will help expose a whole new generation to jazz."
