Description

---

With a simple clap of hands, an itty-bitty beboppin' baby gets his whole family singing and dancing. Sister's hands snap. Granny sings scat. Uncle soft-shoes--and Baby keeps the groove. Things start to wind down when Mama and Daddy sing blues so sweet. Now a perfectly drowsy baby sleeps deep, deep, deep.
    
Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie pair up for a celebration of music, imagination, and big families--but they know that even a jazz baby needs to snooze. Oh yeah.

About the Author

---

LISA WHEELER is the author of several award-winning picture books, including Sixteen Cows, One Dark Night, and Mammoths On the Move, which received a Parent's Choice Recommended Award. She lives near Detroit, Michigan. www.lisawheelerbooks.com

R. GREGORY CHRISTIE has illustrated many books for young readers, among them three Coretta Scott King Honors: The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African Amercian Children, Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, and Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth, which also was named a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Books of the Year, along with Stars in the Darkness. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.<br>www.gas-art.com

Praise For…

---

* "Wheeler’s verse scans beautifully and begs to be read aloud—danced to, even—making this a fine choice for preschool and kindergarten story times. Christie’s bold, double-paged gouache compositions locate this colorfully garbed, expressively hip family within an equally vibrant community. . . . Exultant and infectious, from the red-and-yellow-striped endpapers to the final ‘OH YEAH!" (starred review)
— Kirkus Reviews

* "To the contagious rhythm of the text, Baby and his extended family members be-bop and hip-hop, and generally make jazzy music. “Brother’s hands tap./Sister’s hands snap./Itty-bitty Baby’s hands/CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!” Meanwhile, the youngster is passed from arm to arm, bouncing and bopping, smiling and waving, until–worn out–he allows himself to be tucked into his crib. Against stark white pages, Christie’s paintings in sepia/ochre tones highlighted with brighter shades of green, blue, violet, and red add to the happy, hoppin’ scene. The stylized African Americans with happy, expressive faces, outlined in free-form black line, dance and sway across the pages along with the words (in large and supersize font). Read aloud with a strong emphasis on the beat and a little body movement, too, this lively poetic piece will charm many a little person and provide a joyful musical experience for readers, as well." (starred review)
— School Library Journal