Jazz for Lunch!

Description

Last Stop on Market Street gets a jazzy twist in this finger-licking good celebration of music, food, and family. Struttin' with Auntie Nina down to a club, We're gonna hear some music and then eat some grub. Wanna get up close, but we're stuck in the back, We can't see the drums and we can't get a snack! But Auntie Nina's got a plan, don't you fret, She's taking us to her place where we can get JAZZ FOR LUNCH! Come on in, sit right down! Cuz Auntie Nina and her nephew are cooking up a symphony of food and sounds. The lip-smacking smells and be-bopping tunes might just get the whole neighborhood shimmying over to join in. From Nat King Cole Slaw to Art Tatum Tots to Billie Hollandaise Sauce, get ready for some foot-stomping, finger-licking, booty-shaking, mouth-watering fun!

Jarrett Dapier is a writer, librarian, and drummer who has loved listening to jazz all his life. He lives in Evanston, Illinois, with his family and their many pets. His favorite treat is an Art Blakey Flakey. Jazz For Lunch! is his picture book debut. Eugenia Mello is always aiming to draw music out of her images. She's an illustrator and graphic designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina, currently living and drawing in New York City. She studied graphic design at the University of Buenos Aires, where she also taught for several years.

Dapier's rhymed verse sets a steady beat, and the text is liberally peppered with a mash-up of culinary and jazz wordplay that's even more involving than the straightforward plot. The thumbnail bios that embellish the endpapers hold the clues to deciphering lots of clever references, from Nat King Cole slaw to Billie Hollandaise sauce, from Art Tatum tots to a hot Reuben Reeves, and of course the Auntie Nina shout-out to Nina Simone. Mello's digital artwork moves nimbly from the shadowy blues of the club to the spicy brights of the kitchen, and the climactic party scene is as invitingly raucous as viewers could wish. Please pass the salt peanuts. EB -- BCCB * July 1, 2021 * This picture book embodies the rhythm and flair of the jazz that inspired it. This joyful book is an experience in itself, with the text in rhythmic, rhyming verses and the bright, busy illustrations screaming movement, noise and joy. Aunt and nephew present as Black, and they are surrounded by a crowd with a range of skin tones and hair textures. Endpapers introduce jazz legends in ways that will entice readers to learn more on their own. This energetic jazz lunch is not to be missed. -- Kirkus Reviews, STARRED * August 1, 2021 *