Rock 'n' Roll Soul

March 12, 2018
In Verde’s (I Am Yoga) latest, as all the student musicians at school gear up for the talent show, an exuberant girl makes her plans as well. She doesn’t play any instruments, but she’s confident in her talents: “I can make the music flow./ I can jam and put on a show./ I’ve got a Rock ’n’ Roll SOUL!” Actually, she’s genre-agnostic, paying tribute in the rhymes that follow to hip-hop, jazz, soul, folk, and classical music (“My body simply rises and floats/ when I’m part of those classical notes”). When the big day arrives, the narrator declares herself a “one-girl band” and announces to the packed house, “My greatest instrument is ME.” It’s definitely affirming and egalitarian, and the heroine’s appreciation for music is heartfelt—but young musicians (and their parents) may feel slightly miffed: there’s a lot more to musicianship than making a declaration. Fortunately, Cordell (Wolf in the Snow), the 2018 Caldecott Medalist, never misses a beat. Whether capturing his uninhibited heroine bopping down the street to the music in her headphones or crunching her cereal in rhythm, his pictures are knowing and funny, and they crackle with visual electricity. Ages 3–7.

Starred review from March 1, 2018
For every kid who makes a joyful noise from sunrise to sunset...and all the adults within earshot.A little tan-skinned girl, with her black hair in two puffballs, declares in Verde's rhyming text that she has a "rock 'n' roll soul," and when she performs in the school talent show, she brings the house down. No matter where she goes in her urban neighborhood or what she does, her steady companion, music, follows. Even when she sleeps, she dreams of music. In a six-page dream sequence, only the unnamed protagonist, dressed in an outfit for each occasion, appears in color while her audiences, admirers, orchestra (which she conducts), and marching jazz band (which she leads) appear in gray. Reminiscent in style and energy of Quentin Blake's illustrations, Cordell's watercolors pulse with life, movement, and lighthearted fun. Onomatopoeic words follow this kid everywhere ("Tap-a Tap-a Tap-a"; "chikk-a chikk-a"; "zoing oing toing") in scratchy, hand-drawn and -colored letters. Her single dad, who makes a brief appearance at home, clearly enjoys the musical exuberance of his daughter, who gets quiet only when she sleeps (and dreams of music). Though entirely lacking in conflict, this picture book encourages girls to let the music inside them come out.A rappa-tappin' good read that will invite readers young and old alike to move, groove, and turn on their favorite tunes. (Picture book. 4-8)

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January 1, 2019
A brown-skinned girl with a "Rock n' Roll Soul" uses rhythmic, rhyming words to extol the virtues of music, from hip-hop to classical, as she prepares to wow the crowd at the school talent show. Cordell's loose pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations seem to vibrate with energy, a perfect complement to the onomatopoeia-filled text. A rocking and empowering read-aloud.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)