Jazz

by Walter Dean Myers, Christopher Myers (Illustrations)

Featuring a new introduction from best-selling author Jacqueline Woodson, anew edition of the award-winning father-son collaboration that celebrates the great American art form.

One of TIME's 100 Best Children's Books of All Time

Walter Dean Myers was one of the best-loved and most influential writers of his generation. Originally published 15 years ago, this Coretta Scott King Honoree Jazz now features a new introduction about the ground-breaking author written by his son, Christopher.

In this book that sings with the rhythm and wordplay of jazz, fifteen poems, are paired with bold, stylized illustrations of performers and dancers to convey the history and breadth of this unique musical style. From bebop to New Orleans, from ragtime to boogie, and every style in between, Jazz takes readers on a musical journey from jazz's beginnings to the present day.

The book includes a brief introductory essay about the history and form of jazz, as well as a timeline and glossary of jazz terms.

Coretta Scott King Award Honor for illustration
ALA Notable Children's Book
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
Publishers Weekly's 100 Best Books of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice
Booklist Editor's Choice
Booklist Top Ten in Black History
Book Link's Best New Books for the Classroom
Golden Kite Award: Picture Book Text

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Music, Childrens, Nonfiction, African American, Cultural

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

pseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson

Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.

After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.

Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.

In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.

Reviews

[Théo d'Or]

I just passed by a caravan of musicians, performing Tizol's " Caravan ", on the street, as they walked. Jazz and Paris is my favorite cockteil ever.

[A_Cathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the audio version while I looked through the book, which was beautifully illustrated! The father & son team did a wonderful job of combining the words, which were melodic, repeatative, and poetic, with the black ink and acetate illustrations, which came to life on the page. The text format changed with the tone of the words- type set most of time, yet changed to a fluid style that changed in size depending on the force given to the words.
I would have to recommend the audio version - hands down. You can listen to awesome jazz while the text is being read to you. The music is very much in tune with the text and you would not get the full understanding of how jazz evolves in sound, importance in our changing society and technical changes, if you did not have the experience with this type of music. A short history of Jazz's beginnings is given in the introduction and is read in beautiful rhythm by James "D-Train" Williams and Vaneese Thomas - they made the history much more interesting, than if I had read it myself. Beautiful, but not for younger children - I don't think they would understand the text. This is for musicians, jazz enthusiasts, and picture book lovers.

[Rodica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version (I read in some reviews that the paper version has some beautiful illustrations, but my library only had the audiobook available). It’s a great fun way to introduce jazz to older kids, you can even have dance party. It’s not an exhaustive introduction, by any means - there is some information in the beginning and at the end. Everything else, it’s just a potpourri of jazz music. It’s a really fun production, not really a book :)

[K2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

GoodRead

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

#55 on Time Magazine 100 Best Children's books

Wow! Wow! Wow wow! Wow!
A marvelously illustrated book of poems which is an ode to jazz. The book ends with both a glossary and a timeline of jazz highlights. This book sings!

[Cami Chopin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening to this audiobook made my Louisiana heart happy! I especially liked the history/timeline at the end

[Relyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was listed on Time Magazine's One Hundred Best Children's Books list. I don't know many children who would like this book; a lot of adults, but not many children.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful celebration of one of the best genres out there.  Through poetry, onomatopoeia, blues rhythms, and gorgeous illustrations, Myers and Myers create an intelligent, fun, and riveting book filled with history and music.  Each poem focuses on something different--a jazz musician, an instrument, a subgenre, and more.  

This is great for the child who loves music, who loves poetry, and great for the parent wanting to add more diversity to their shelves.

Review cross-listed here!

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SPECTACULAR! I borrowed the audiobook from the Boston Public Library Overdrive account, and I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would! It was both poetic and very informational (especially if you just watched the Pixar movie SOUL and want to get a little more jazz in your life). I would highly recommend listening to it in this format because it's performed with instrumentals.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

15 Poems infused with flowing illustrations about the history of Jazz Music.
The books' poems tie together popular songs and artists of the Harlem Renaissance in this #Ownvoices love letter to music!

[meron · Rating 4 out of 5]

walter dean myers double feature this weekend 🤝🏽

[S.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork is mesmerizing, and the poetry will have you itching to play some jazz. The glossary and timeline provide a great starting place for learning about this rich musical history.

[(NS) - Heather Hayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jazz, by Walter Dean Myers, is full of beautiful illustrations and engaging poetry in celebration of the American art form known as jazz. This book takes readers on a journey from the beginning of jazz to where it now is today. It also includes a timeline to help track the different forms of jazz music since its' beginnings in New Orleans.

I looked at this book since I am trying to focus on more poetry into my classroom this year. This is one of those excellent books that brings together the sound of the words with the feel of the pictures and can be appreciated by all ages. While the poems run parrellel with the history behind the making of jazz music, you are also drawn into the illustrations that almost seem to be popping off the pages. The inspirational words almost make you want to jump up and start swinging to the beat.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Walter Dean Myers teams up with his illustrator son in this toe tapping rhythmic adventure called Jazz. Dedicated to the children of New Orleans, the story begins with some background and history. Then the reader jumps to the Nile where they are filled with the beat of a drum. With each page turn a new element of the music fills the space. The colors, movement of the painters brush and the beat of the words bring the story alive. When you are finished reading you'll want to jump up and start dancing!

This story is beautiful and energizing for young children. I really think it is for older children and adults who love Jazz! The language and vocabulary are moving. This book lends itself to exploration into music, history, and more!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is thorough! If you're looking for a children's introductory study in jazz and it's various styles, this is what you're looking for. There's no story-line or plot, however, so it's not a book you'd just pull out for story time. A good tool, broken into three parts and takes about 45 minutes.

Ages: 6 - 12

Cleanliness: illustrations show couples dancing and another couple hugging. There is a song about love.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a colorful and fun read aloud book! We used this as a theme for our summer school (www.bluegrassprincesses.com) and it opened up a whole world of fun, musical knowledge.

When I read through it silently, I wasn't too sure how my kids would take it. But reading it aloud made all the difference. It kind of transports you, the lyrical way it is written, that connects the luscious illustrations to the melodious way your voice is pronouncing the poetic words. Magical. I challenged my kids to write in this style while listening to a few different types of Jazz and they really surprised me with the depth of their writing.

A beautiful book, which becomes magic when read aloud.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poetry celebrating jazz music and musicians is really something special. The poems read like a jam session, that incorporate so many styles of jazz: ragtime, swing, be-bop, fusion. The writing reflects the sounds and spirit of music. You almost feel like you're in a jazz club and you're ready to get up and dance! The illustrations by the author's son were created by painting black ink on acetate and placing it over acrylic. I'm really glad I found this book in my school's book room!

[Megan Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audience: Primary
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Text-to-text: "Jazz" reminds me of the book "Happy JazzFest" because they both remind me so much of New Orleans and how Jazz goes hand-in-hand with Mardi Gras. Both books are so exciting and upbeat, and they both use poetic lines to create a smooth read. Even the pictures within both books are similar! I chose text-to-text with this book because I just recently read "Happy JazzFest" and it immediately reminded me of the book.

[Kay Mcgriff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poems echoes the rhythms of jazz as it explores the history of American's homegrown music. I found it hard to read without tapping my feel along with the poems. The introduction sets the stage with an overview of jazz's evolution. More information in the back defines jazz terms and gives a timeline of important musical events. The illustrations are filled with vibrant color and movement.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, vibrant and sophisticated illustrations and text convey the richness of the history jazz. Each pair of pages presents a different aspect so this can easily be read in pieces to keep the interest of the very young. Definitely a keeper.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The copy I got from the library had a CD in the back so I put that CD in my computer and listened as I looked through the book. This was a great way to experience the book as the CD has the narration of the book along with background jazz music. The illustrations are wonderful so it was great to follow along as I listened.
I will say that I don't see this as a book for children despite it being a picture book. I think that there are a lot of not super kid friendly lyrics in the songs and I just don't see a kid being that interested in it. I think that just reading the book without the accompanying CD would have been somewhat "meh" for me. I notice a lot of people talk about how the book tells the history of Jazz. I can see how the introduction and timeline does that but the actual book didn't really convey the history of jazz for me.
An interesting book but I would probably only purchase this for my library to go with the music teacher's lessons on jazz. I don't see kids gravitating towards the book on their own and I definitely don't see me using this book as a read aloud.

[isa diosa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

first book of 2023 woo!! i borrowed this book on the libby app thinking it would be a fun read (since i’m slowly becoming a novice jazz nerd LOL) and i was pleasantly surprised!

for one, i didn’t actually know this was a children’s book at first but that didn’t stop me. another thing that was a pleasant surprise was the entire production behind this whole book. like?? oh my god?? there was narration and music playing in the background which was really cool!! the illustrations were also amazing and i love how they made the poems practically come to life.

i also loved how at the beginning of the book, there was an introduction that talked about the history of jazz and how it came to be. at the end of the book, there was a glossary of jazz terminology and a timeline of important dates. while all of this information is nowhere near an exhaustive list of jazz history, i thought this book was a cool way to introduce people, especially kids, to jazz. overall, this book is great for musicians, jazz enthusiasts, and people who love picture books :’)

[Antionea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great book, especially if you love music. There are many names, and music instruments through out the story. For example Kitty was mentioned in song in the book the song described her beauty. Also another name mentioned in the book was 20 fingers Jack, he could play the piano very well, very fast. This book also have songs that the characters danced to.
The literacy of this book was simple with easy words, but the words were cursive, in my opinion this is great for 4th or 5th graders to read, because the book had cursive spelling. The book also on most of the pages are rhyming stories because they are the songs that I've mentioned about in this book
I gave this book 5stars because its a fun book, and i also love the pictures of the people dancing to the songs on the page it looks really realistic.

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This energetic and colorful book is illustrated by Myers' son Christopher who won a 2007 Coretta Scott King Illustrator's Honor for his success. Included are 15 poems dedicated to the children of New Orleans with the varying sounds of jazz depicted throughout. You can't help but get caught up in the rhythm.

'Cause the jazz that we're laying, And the licks that we're laying, And the dues that we're paying, And the blues that we're slaying Go screa----min', go screamin', go screa---screa---screamin' to the moon!

A brief introduction to the history of jazz is included in the front of the book with a time line at the back. The book is in picture book format making it appealing to younger children, but the text is better suited for older children with a higher vocabulary. Would make a great read-aloud for starting music discussions.

[Kristen Quinlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jazz is a vibrantly colored children's picture book that pays homage to the many talented black musicians and various instruments that were involved in the birth of the jazz movement in America. It is a really nice read, with rhythmic, poetic writings on each page that compliment the artful depictions of the instruments mentioned in the text. The format of the illustrations is done in alternating patterns of single-page and double-page spreads with colorfully painted brushstrokes. This would be a great classroom book for young, elementary students for a diverse and inclusive classroom atmosphere. Overall, I enjoyed trying to sing the tunes of the text and it was definitely nice on the eyes to see all of the beautiful artwork on the pages.

[Israel Waltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre-poem
Grades-PreK-K, 1-2, 3-5
This book can be read at any age and you can enjoy it. The flow of the poems makes it easy and fun to read. While at the same time the imagery conveys the feeling that the author has towards Jazz. I love how the book has poems for the different parts of a jazz band. (for example, a string bass, the trumpet player, and even the singer.) as the book goes along all the different parts come together to form Jazz. this book would be good for any teacher that is looking for poems to use as examples in their classroom or trying to show how many different parts of a band can become music. I recommend this book.

[Missy Matula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was moving. I loved how it was set up almost like a song and flowed like a melody. The pictures were so vibrant they looked like acrylic paintings. This book is great to read to young African American students to help them feel connected to their culture and be proud of their diversity. It was a great way to talk about music and introduce a different type of musical genre; jazz. Jazz's roots came from New Orleans and it was fun to read about that and to see the pictures associated with the story. It's also important to teach children how influential music can be and can help define periods in time. This book was great!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one on a bit of a lark, and I'm so grateful that I did. The poems are a delightful exploration of jazz and its history. From tributes to jazz luminaries to vignettes showing jazz weaving into a couple's love story, the book is a celebration of what jazz can mean in someone's life. I also appreciated the sections of the book that went into the history of jazz as a genre, including the split between bebop and cool jazz practitioners.

I'd recommend getting the audiobook if you can, as it pairs the poems with appropriate music. I really enjoyed listening to it while having my morning coffee.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book for older kids more 4th and 5th grade. These are poems about the different types of jazz. The poems are brilliant as each one is different to reflect the style they are discussing. I think the poems really get the heart of the jazz they are discussing. Amazing.

Stil, the poems are long and they go on and on, sort of like jazz. I suppose if you read one of these out to a kid a night, they would enjoy it.

The artwork is great. It's black ink over acetate and acrylic painted over it. There is so much energy and emotion in the artwork. Just wonderful. The art and the words almost make you hear the music.

Kids that love Jazz will love this.

[Tiffany Brown]

This story is said not to be appropriate for younger children. I do not agree with this, children at different reading levels would be able to pick up the language in this book. the format of the book is interesting, using different sizes to portray different things. This is to add emphasis when necessary. The colors are bold and smooth across each page. it is as if you can touch the characters and the items in the pages. This is a great book about diversity and music. It was written by a father and son, it was and excellent read.