Scan barcode
panda_incognito's review
5.0
This picture book recreates the children's song "This Old Man" to introduce jazz legends. The text flows well with the tune, and includes fun onomatopoeia and jazz vocabulary. It's not immediately obvious that the men in the book are historical figures, but the backmatter shares information about each man and what he was famous for.
Update: I read this for a music and movement storytime, and it was great! I was nervous about singing with no accompaniment, but it went fine, and the kids and adults seemed to enjoy this. A preschool group came, and those kids started playing pretend instruments in the air and making the noises, without any prompting from me. It was so fun. I really enjoyed sharing this, and it was perfect for February's extra emphasis on Black representation.
Update: I read this for a music and movement storytime, and it was great! I was nervous about singing with no accompaniment, but it went fine, and the kids and adults seemed to enjoy this. A preschool group came, and those kids started playing pretend instruments in the air and making the noises, without any prompting from me. It was so fun. I really enjoyed sharing this, and it was perfect for February's extra emphasis on Black representation.
beths0103's review
5.0
This is by far far one of my favorite picture books ever. When you pair this story (a jivin' retelling of "This Old Man" with a jazzy makeover) with the audio CD, your toes will be a tappin' and your feet will be a movin' and all you'll be asking yourself is how long will it take to download some Louis Armstong or Charlie Parker on your iPod.
Play this audio CD to a class full of kids when you need to wake them up and get them moving.
Play this audio CD to a class full of kids when you need to wake them up and get them moving.
orangerful's review
4.0
The only thing that would make this better is if it came with an audio bonus that had all the instrument sounds. Or even a mp3 of the melody using jazz instruments. I'm already plotting finding a way to get the high school jazz band to visit and maybe use them in a storytime...
but even without that, this is a really fun book. Sing it to the melody of "This Old Man" and have fun with it. I did it with the toddlers today and we counted every time we turned the page and then acted out the instrument. Another librarian did it with preschool age and it was also a big hit. So this one is staying on the storytime shelf.
but even without that, this is a really fun book. Sing it to the melody of "This Old Man" and have fun with it. I did it with the toddlers today and we counted every time we turned the page and then acted out the instrument. Another librarian did it with preschool age and it was also a big hit. So this one is staying on the storytime shelf.
cetaylor05's review against another edition
5.0
While it’s evident that most big band and jazz musicians can count 1-2-3-4, Ehrhardt’s all-stars work their way all the way up to 10. Set to the rhythm of This Old Man, each musician plays his number in his signature style, inserting raucous onomatopoeia into the verse where the “knick-knack, paddy whack” usually goes. Roth’s illustrations, executed in mixed media collages, use swatches of fabric and wallpaper cut into clothes, india ink brushwork, sponge-applied pigments and jazz-related ephemera to energetically sketch the appearance, personality, and musical stylings of each jazz man in his turn, along with a tiny grey guest star who can be followed from page to page. After finishing their solos and jamming together on number 10, the jazz men are introduced individually in brief biographical sketches. Observant fans would have noticed clues to their identities, but in the end they are revealed to be a nonet of jazz luminaries including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Fats Waller.
circleofreadersdruid's review against another edition
5.0
I loved everything about this book and I don't even like jazz. Perfect for the Summer Library Program this summer, Libraries Rock, it's fun, upbeat, and lovely to look at. There's even a mini-bio in the back of the book of each of the nine men featured in the story.
More...