D. J. and the Jazz Fest (The D.J. Series) [Hardcover]

Denise McConduit (Author), Emile Henriquez (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 1997 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: The D.J. Series

Where in the world can children hear jazz, gospel, and blues and eat shrimp poí boys and strawberry snowballs? Jazz Fest in New Orleans!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Where in the world can children hear jazz, gospel, blues and Cajun music? In New Orleans! D. J. reluctantly agrees to go to his first Jazz Fest with his relatives, only to discover an unexpected world of culture and music. -- Midwest Book Review

From the Inside Flap

"D.J. reluctantly agrees to go to his first Jazz Fest with his relatives, only to discover an unexpected world of culture and music." --Midwest Book Review "We go with him and are in for a truly invigorating experience." --Children's Literature "A book that is a celebration of a city and its music as well as a celebration of family." --Multicultural Review "A wonderful children's book to have in any elementary school or public library." --Louisiana Library Association Bulletin Denise Walter McConduit is fourth in a family of thirteen, a New Orleans native, and a mother of four. She published her first story in 1982, and her work has since appeared in Essence, Black New Orleans, and the New Orleans Tribune. Currently, she serves on the advisory board of the Friends of New Orleans Public Library and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Her work is on display in the New Orleans Riverwalk's Book of Legends. The character of D.J. is based on her son. Emile F. Henriquez is a retired design coordinator from Textron Marine and Land Systems. He studied drawing, painting, design, and art history at Tulane University and has worked as a graphic illustrator since 1963. He and his wife, Mary Ann, reside in Slidell, where he operates a full commercial and fine art studio. He is active in civic and cultural affairs and served as president of the Slidell Art League for two years. Denise Walter McConduit and Emile F. Henriquez also collaborated on D.J. and the Zulu Parade and D.J. and the Debutante Ball, all published by Pelican.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (February 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565542398
• ISBN-13: 978-1565542396
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,745,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SPARKLING NEW ORLEANS TRADITION, March 3, 2004

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: D. J. and the Jazz Fest (The D.J. Series) (Hardcover)

You can almost hear the beat of tapping feet in D.J. and the Jazz Fest by Denise Walter McConduit, illus. by Emile F. Henriquez

Although D.J. sometimes finds his mother's ideas boring, he changes his mind when she takes him to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. What a weekend - shrimp po' boys, strawberry snowballs, dancing, plus jazz, gospel, Cajun music, and the blues.

The author places a fun-filled traditional New Orleans experience in a child's context.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great introductory resource for the New Orleans Jazz Fest!, October 6, 2009

By 

Judy K. Polhemus "Book Collector" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: D. J. and the Jazz Fest (The D.J. Series) (Hardcover)

The fall of 2005 brought unexpected guests to SJB Catholic School and eventually a copy of "D.J. and the Jazz Fest," an introductory look at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival held annually in late spring. The book was a gift to the school as a memento of gratitude by the particular donors.

We had an influx of students that year, packing all classes with displaced children from displaced families because of Hurricane Katrina's resulting flood waters and catastrophic damage and destruction of homes in and around New Orleans. To those outside the affected areas, the devastation was just a story in the news, people to pray for, send donations to, work with relief efforts, or worry about. To those who were directly or indirectly affected, accommodations had to be made: places in schools, temporary shelters all over the city, food donations. My city, Shreveport, became a major hub for displaced persons.

So that's the background--a little extensive here, yes, but memories of that time inundated me for a moment. I wanted to write more, but didn't. I'm back. I chanced across this book the other day, forgetting it in the hurly-burly of 2005, and thought what a great way to use this book to introduce a cultural event indigenous to Louisiana. After all, jazz has its powerful roots in New Orleans, as well as "players" in the field (oh, ha ha, good pun), such as Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis, and Neville Aaron. So I made a calendar note for April to get out this book and bring some CD's of Armstrong and Marsalis and have my own little teaching session.

Is the book worthy? Absolutely yes. As a children's book, it is a simple introduction to one of the most famous festivals in the world. Crowds are phenomenal. That's the one nitpick I'm going to make about the illustrations. It looks as if the fest is held in a country setting with locals attending. What do I mean? There is no sense of crowd, as if only a very comfortable number of participants were there. But that may have "poetic" or story license. Why overwhelm young readers with sweaty crowd pictures? If that's the case, I withdraw my nitpick.

But let's visit the positive side which is everything else. Oops, I will point out one more nitpick. I love the artwork by Emile F. Henriquez. He has a real talent for depicting the human form and face. However, when his characters show surprise and amazement, it is with truly exaggerated whites of their eyes! On the other hand, one audience illustration shows about eighty faces. He makes each of those faces quite individual. I sat and looked at each one and found myself showing the whites of my eyes. How does he do this? Hair color, shape of face, use of hats, skin color, facial hair. Really, this scene is impressive. Standing on the stage is Wynton Marsalis, New Orleans native and probably its most influence modern jazz musician. His story is a book in itself, or several.

But let's go back to the beginning. D.J., maybe 8 or 9, learns one day, when his mother picks him up from school--they live in New Orleans--that they are going to the Jazz Fest, as she calls it, probably a local rendering of the very long New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. As the tendency of most children, he most definitely is not interested in something about which he knows nothing. This lack of knowledge sets up all the explanations that follow in the book: mother explaining this and that. It has to be done if this is going to be a story of a family's viewpoint of the festival. The other way is as a nonfiction book written for children. This way is the human element, the connection between child reader and child character. It's a good match.

What does D.J. learn during the day? It is held at the Fair Grounds (a racetrack), there are tents and stages for the large variety of music acts, a map of the event, craft booths--
(Example of immediate educational tidbit:
D.J.: "What does handcrafted mean?
Mother: Something was made by hand, not by a factory or store....[T]hey're one of a kind...and valued more than one bought from a store).
Writer Denise Walter McConduit handles these immediate educational tidbits quite well, detracting from potential teachiness to make the information fit into a nice exchange between mother and son. I like how she incorporates the information into the story.

Other events at the Jazz Fest: food booths, souvenir booths, the Mardi Gras Indians, gospel music, Cajun music, blues (B.B. King and the Neville Brothers), and, of course, jazz music. A real variety.

By the end D.J. and his friend Jonathan understand what Jazz Fest is and come to love it. There will be a trip next year, the reader can be sure. Overall, this book is an excellent contribution to explaining the great cultural heritage of jazz and related music and all the activities that go with festivals. Recommended for both home and school libraries.