My Family Plays Music (Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Illustrator (Awards)) [School & Library Binding]

Judy Cox (Author), Elbrite Brown (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Illustrator (Awards)

A musical family with talents for playing a variety of instruments enjoys getting together to celebrate.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-More a celebration of sound than a story, this upbeat picture book explores 10 different types of music. The young African-American narrator introduces each member of her extended family and the style of music he or she plays, from blue grass to marching band to rock 'n' roll to church hymns. As different as these genres are, this girl can always play along with each of her relatives, keeping the beat with an appropriate percussion instrument, including the cymbals, a cowbell, and maracas. Finally, she joins her young niece on the floor to drum on pots and pans. A glossary defining all the musical terms and genres appears on the last page. The cut-paper illustrations are vibrant and filled with energy. The bright reds, sunny yellows, and deep blues are similar in palette to Synthia Saint James's artwork. Pair this title with Lloyd Moss's Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (S & S, 1995) for a fun and useful introduction to music.
Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. This is a good year for books about music, including Aliki's Ah, Music! [BKL Je 1 & 15 03] and this charmer about a family of music makers. The young female narrator starts off describing a page of pictures of her family. "We all love music," she says, and the images include those of instruments as well as of musicians. Her mom plays fiddle in a country band, and the girl plays the tambourine. Her dad plays cello in a string quartet, and she plays the triangle. And so it goes throughout the family: her sister plays a clarinet in the marching band, and she plays the cymbals; her brother plays lead guitar in a rock-'n'-roll band; her grandma plays bluegrass banjo and her grandpa the polka tuba. The paper-cut illustrations vibrate with color and--almost--with sound. The multiracial family with its rainbow of skin tones is not only a lovely multicultural statement but also a vivid reflection of contemporary families and musical tastes. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823415910
• ISBN-13: 978-0823415915
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in San Francisco. I'm the oldest of five children and enjoyed telling stories from an early age. I am a reading teacher at a small rural school. I am inspired to write children's books by my own love of good literature, by raising my son, and by teaching my students.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Play magic fingers, play!, April 11, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Family Plays Music (Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Illustrator (Awards)) (School & Library Binding)

I have a horrible nasty habit that I've been fighting against for years and years. When I see that a book, whether for adult or child, has won an award of any sort, I immediately become the Queen of the Critique. Suddenly, no matter how wonderful or well written the book is, I'm continually underwhelmed. I read through the tale and think to myself, "Well, it was good. It just wasn't THAT good". Now that is my usual reaction. Thankfully, it is not my only reaction. And after reading "My Family Plays Music", I am proud to say that it wasn't my reaction in the least. My response to this fine creation was something far more along the lines of, "It WAS that good! Well, I'll be darned".

Following a spunky girl sporting cornrows and a purple bow smack dab in the middle of her head, we observe her pointed observations about each member of her family. The child of a uniquely musical fam, each person related to her excels in a different genre. Her mother plays in a country western band, as her father lends his talents to a string quartet. Some people in this family play rock and roll. Others pipe out cool jazz in clubs like "The Blue Note". There's swing music, and bongos in poetry cafes. The girl even has relatives involved in everything from church organs to (and my credulousness was stretched a bit on this one) polka bands. Mmm. Nonetheless, everyone has their part to play. As each person is described, the young girl plays some type of a percussion instrument to accompany them. I liked this fact, if only because it gives percussionists the respect they are due. This girl is every bit as much a musician as her family members, whether she's beating out a tune on a soup kettle, cowbell, and woodblock or shaking her tambourine and maracas. This swell story focuses on diversity without making its point and shaking it in your face.

A helpful glossary is included in the back of the book that explains each term that might be considered difficult for kids to understand. These are accompanied by small pictures that define the terms clearly and concisely. Anyone wishing to explain the difference between woodwind and brass instruments will be able to do so with this resource. In terms of the book's construction itself, Judy Cox has written a great story. Elbrite Brown's illustrations act as a perfect match, making it difficult to believe that this is the illustrator's first picture book. I've rarely seen cut paper pictures that get the small details down so well. Whether he's creating a tiny finger lifted from a fiddle or the delicate black lines that make up a man's goatee, Brown is adept at his work and we are the ones who benefit. All in all, a great book that is entirely deserving of the 2004 Coretta Scott King Award that it has received.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars absolute gem, July 6, 2009

By 

prospective treadmiller - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Family Plays Music (Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Illustrator (Awards)) (School & Library Binding)

I adore this book and am suprised that it has so few reviews. It belongs on every listmania list of books for children.

Everything about this book is amazing. The art, the celebration of extended family, the shared love of music, the black family, the strong female lead character, the lyrical story with the gasp provoking lovely ending.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction of music genres for kids, July 19, 2010

By 

Diane Plaster "Musaic Arts" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Family Plays Music (Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Illustrator (Awards)) (School & Library Binding)

As a music teacher, I truly appreciate this book. It introduces different styles of music (from classical to bluegrass) and shows how a child can still appreciate each in his/her own way by joining in with various percussion instruments. In class I use a CD of excerpts I compiled to better illustrate each genre while I play the same percussion instrument as the girl in the story. I then pass around the instrument to each student in class to play along too. My own kids love it too!