Mama Mable's All-Gal Big Band Jazz Extravaganza written and illustrated by Annie Sieg - ADVISABLE

Mama Mable's All-Gal Big Band Jazz Extravaganza by Annie Sieg 32 pages. PICTURE BOOK NON-FICTION. Make Me A World, (Penguin Random House), 2019. $18. 9781524718084

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

During the 1940s, with so many men involved with WWII, women were during different kinds of jobs, carpentry, welding whatever was needed, even forming their own Jazz Bands, like Mama Mabel's All-Gal Big Band. What an exciting day when Mama Mabel's Band comes to town. 

I love stories like this - good thing I read the author's note or I wouldn't have noticed that the end papers include silhouettes of some of the famous female jazz musicians like Melba Liston, Willie Mae Wong, and Valaida Snow. While they weren't all part of the same band, this book is a nice tribute to these talented women. The rhyming text is simple, but the illustrations are vibrant and fun.

Lisa Librarian