Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band by Michael Mahin - ADVISABLE

Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band by Michael Mahin, illustrated by Don Tate. PICTURE BOOK. Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2018. $18. 9780547942018.


BUYING ADVISORY: EL(K-3), EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In 1895 New Orleans, a group of homeless boys created their own instruments and formed a band. The music they played was a synthesis of all sorts of musical styles--blues, folks, gospel and more--and became a part of the story of jazz. Though initially disliked and forced to move to another part of town, the band eventually finds a receptive audience and a small place in American musical history. 

This is a niche little historical fiction picture book that tells an interesting tale. The story itself is fun and has a lot of great onomatopoeia in the text; the illustrations fit the story really well and add a great sense of movement and music. There is a nice author's note and more at the back. This would be a fun book to use in a music lesson or a general life lesson about creativity and solving your own problems. And for the record--my kindergartner loves it!

Reviewer: TC