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Summary
Summary
Presenting the hippest alphabet book ever! A hoppin', swinging, clip-clop-ringing, bebop-singing romp through the letters that will keep your toes tapping all the way from alley cat to zoot suit. With some of the most eye-catching collage art you'll ever see, The Jazzy Alphabet is a musical high note, and is sure to leave children clamoring for an encore.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-"Bim-bam blues!" "Razzmatazz!" Shahan presents an alphabet book with lively language and a jazzy rhythm that will inspire a read-aloud with a snappy beat. The text boogies and sings, be-bopping through the alphabet from "Abazaba alley cat" to "zoot suit." Instruments and jazz terms and phrases capture the fun. "[W]iggle-waggle-wibble-wabble woo woo wee!" and other alliterative phrases make the book perfect for phonemic awareness and for use as a model for studying the literary device. Featured letters are usually identified with a different color to set them apart from the rest of the text. Brilliant collage illustrations harmonize with the vibrant spirit of the text. The illustrator has added additional alphabet interest by including pictures that begin with each letter. The first page lists a few examples, serving as an invitation for readers to find the many items that begin with each letter. Rockin' and tappin' fun, this title is an energetic addition to any alphabet-book collection.-Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The ABCs explode in a creative flurry of color and cadence in this stimulating mix of contemporary abstract images and playful jazz lingo. Shahan's (Feeding Time at the Zoo) alliterative text incorporates music jargon in each dynamic spread. Saxophone S is swingin,' so scuff your shiny shoes. Shimmy and shake to the scat man blues! For each letter, debut artist Thelen cleverly incorporates items ranging from the expected (zebra) to the unexpected (zither) on each purposefully busy spread. The focus letter, in a distinct bright color, stands out within black text that routinely dances up and down the page. Thelen orchestrates vivid hues and geometric shapes, often employing a scribbled backdrop for scintillating collage scenes; one spare scene of a fat cat shuffl[ing] to a fine funky beat as an elephant plays horn on Ellington Street, gives a nod to Matisse's jazz collages in its palette and mood. An African-American boy on harmonica and a blue cat make frequent appearances throughout the pages, taking time out to jam with the animal musicians (including a beret-wearing bear strumming a B-shaped bass). The rhymes may be uneven (e.g., for the letter U: U do, I do, upbeat u do. Utmost jam host!), but the tempo swings. New and whimsical discoveries await each toe-tapping visit to this book, though the very young may have trouble finding the alphabet hidden under all the jazzy dressing. A sassy improvisation on the abecedarian theme. Ages 2-5. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In this alphabet book, vivid artwork complements a non-rhyming text enlisting jazz lingo. Using flat colors and geometric shapes, Thelen incorporates a number of items beginning with or including each featured letter. Closer attention to phrasing and meter would have given the text a more musical flow; nonetheless, the unique theme will attract readers. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Ages 5-8. This lively ditty, with its fractured, exploding shapes and rhymed text, puts a new face on alphabet books. Bouncing from scat-singing to rap, Shahan's text barrels through the alphabet: «L is beboppin' like lively and hoppin,' / a low-down licorice stick. / What a lick!» Silk-screened and painted gouache papers and textures in layered, patterned cutouts make a vibrating background to the text, which shimmies over the images, highlighting each letter. A short intro notes that many of the items pictured begin with the letter of the alphabet featured on the page. It is not easy to read, but could add to quite a story time when coupled with Chris Raschka's Charlie Parker Played BeBop (1992). It may also fall into that category of picture book actually aimed at adults. GraceAnne DeCandido.