The Jazzy Alphabet [Hardcover]

Sherry Shahan (Author), Mary Thelen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

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.

A word list makes this a fun, interactive game for children and parents to share.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 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
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (June 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399234535
• ISBN-13: 978-0399234538
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,213,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sherry Shahan's novel PURPLE DAZE is the powerful story of an unforgettable year. It's a story about war, feminism, riots, love, racism, rock 'n' roll, and friendship. Set in suburban Los Angeles in 1965, six high school students share their intense experiences through journal entries, notes, interconnected free verse and traditional poems. Together they learn important lessons about the world, their friends, and themselves as they take part in America's most volatile cultural revolution. Rock on!

Visit www.SherryShahan.com

DEATH MOUNTAIN is based on a frightening personal experience: Shahan's backpacking group was caught in a deadly electrical storm on an exposed ridge. The pack horse and mule were struck by lightning and killed; three women in her party were airlifted off the mountain by helicopter.

Other adventures include hiking a leech-infested rain forest in Australia, riding horseback into a remote Maasai village in Africa, and bouncing around inside a dog sled for the first part of the famed 1049-mile Iditarod Race in Alaska. Those are just the "A"s . . .

Visit: www.SherryShahan.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jazzy AlphabetHip to the Jive, Cool Cats!, August 21, 2003

By 

shoutgrace "savedbyhisgrace" (Charleston, WV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jazzy Alphabet (Hardcover)

Sherry Shahan's 'The Jazzy Alphabet' is the hippest A-B-C ever to hit the streets. This alphabet is really cookin' hot or cool. It's the only boogie-boppin', singin' and rompin' family of letters around. The text is rhythmic and with it in the blues jargon. Parents you may have to tell your little ones what some of those jazzy words are, like: cuttin' the rug, jazzy jingle, juba and jive and mad-dog tooter. Each page has items that the children can identify by the matching letter. The muscially-inclined orchestra will get your toes tapping in no time.

Here's a sample:

Abazaba alley cat
and boogie-woogie bebop a boogaloo.
Bim-bam blues!

Cool cats cuttin' the rug with
a clip-clop clappin' happenin'.
D's on the drums,
down and dirty.
"Dig it! Dig it!"

This may sound racy to some for a little child. Someone has to explain to me what down and dirty means? Just to give some parents a clear judgement of the lingo in the book. Other than that it's a cool book. A nice collection for folks like me who loves musically-inclined alphabet books. The illustrations done by Mary Thelen are lively and whimiscal collages made with silk-screen Color-Aid papers and gouache-painted textures. The illustrations react with the music text as they dance across the page with that little Razzmatazz! It's the cat's MEOW!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Preschool alphabet jazzy fun!, March 26, 2003

By 

K. K. Barre "Quot libros, quam breve tempus." (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jazzy Alphabet (Hardcover)

"Abazaba alley cat A, Bebop a boogaloo, bim bam blues..." I wrote that last line from memory, so excuse any mispellings. My son loves this book so much I can do the whole thing from beginning to end in my sleep... the pictures are wonderful, bright and full of detail. Lots of animals to name, objects that begin with the appropriate letter are incorporated into each page, and the people depicted are multicultural. The text is alliterative and rhythmic (NOT rhyming,as one of the print reviews says), and really captures the movement of jazz.

The recommended age is 5-9, but my son has been in love with this book since he was 12 months old. He's 15 months now, and still demands it upwards of 10 times a day. He loves to find the kitty cat and the little boy that are found on every page of the book (except one) and will clap his hands with the rythym.
I just pray our copy will last for more than a year... this book is really getting a workout in our house.

Read it in your best "blues man" voice, and you've got a winner for any preschooler! Va-va-varoom!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swing and Jive With the Alphabet....., October 23, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jazzy Alphabet (Hardcover)

Sherry Shahan swings through the alphabet, jazz style, and every toe will be tapping on this raucus, fun-filled journey from A to Z. Listen to the boogie-woogie, bim-bam blues. Watch the cool cats cuttin' the rug, and fat cats shuffle to a fine funky beat. Hear that jazzy jam session, or the organ all oozy and bluesy. The piano pitter-patters, plink, the saxophone is swinging, so shimmy and shake, and the woodwinds wibble-wabble woo woo wee. So zip up that zoot suit and get ready to jive..... Ms Shahans clever text is lively and captivating, and filled with energy, rhythm, alliteration, and motion that's contagious. Little ones will be on their feet and moving to the beat. Mary Thelen's bold, bright, and busy illustrations dazzle with vibrant colors and intensity, and youngsters will never tire of exploring each intriguing page. The Jazzy Alphabet is an engaging manic romp, best read aloud and shared, and a definite preschool crowd pleaser. "The jazzy alphabet boogies and sings, hot jazz, cool jazz, pizzazzy street-jammin' jazz. Razzmatazz! It is the cat's pajamas. MEOW!