The Jazz of Our Street

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2* The Rhythm of the Street
Review: There's a vibrant rhythm to this story of a New Orleans marching band and the dancers who follow it. Fatima Shaik's combination of free verse and rhyme evoke the syncopation of jazz, and the writing is full of rich similes that describe the feelings of sound: "The sound is like slippers slipping and scraping on the long gravel streets. The songs growl like mad boys who fall too hard to their beds." Although the book is short on plot, children will enjoy watching the procession and celebration of the neighborhoods' residents. After marching through the streets, the musicians and dancers "pause ...to silently recollect the reason we gather together at all":

Because the tradition
of love is our mission.

The book has some of the most beautiful watercolors I've seen recently, but the city is too sanitized and bereft of its color, stripped of some of its distinctive grit and realism. There's a great picture showing an example of traditional New Orleans architecture, but I would have liked more. A nice touch is the Author's Note about the history of New Orleans marching jazz bands and the "second line" of dancers who follow them.

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2* The Rhythm of the Street
Review: There's a vibrant rhythm to this story of a New Orleans marching band and the dancers who follow it. Fatima Shaik's combination of free verse and rhyme evoke the syncopation of jazz, and the writing is full of rich similes that describe the feelings of sound: "The sound is like slippers slipping and scraping on the long gravel streets. The songs growl like mad boys who fall too hard to their beds." Although the book is short on plot, children will enjoy watching the procession and celebration of the neighborhoods' residents. After marching through the streets, the musicians and dancers "pause ...to silently recollect the reason we gather together at all":

Because the tradition
of love is our mission.

The book has some of the most beautiful watercolors I've seen recently, but the city is too sanitized and bereft of its color, stripped of some of its distinctive grit and realism. There's a great picture showing an example of traditional New Orleans architecture, but I would have liked more. A nice touch is the Author's Note about the history of New Orleans marching jazz bands and the "second line" of dancers who follow them.