The Jazz Fly (Jazz Fly series)

Gollub, Matthew

ISBN 10: 1889910171 ISBN 13: 9781889910178

Publisher: Tortuga Press, 2000

Synopsis

This Indie Next #1 Recommended book, and Benjamin Franklin Book Award winner, celebrates language and the inventive spirit of jazz: “ZA-baza, BOO-zaba, ZEE-za RO-ni!” The book includes 3 listening options: a QR code, audio CD, and FREE AUDIO DOWNLOAD featuring Gollub's MUST HEAR narration set to a jazz quartet. To listen as you read along (highly recommended), use the QR code, FREE audio download or traditional CD. All 3 listening options come with the book! The fly, who speaks jazz, asks which way to town. "Rrribit," replies the frog. "Oink," says the hog. Although baffled, the fly hears music in their words, and that evening he uses the animal sounds to set the insect dinner club a hoppin.' The computer enhanced artwork of Karen Hanke perfectly complements the text and audio. Get ready to tap, snap, and swing to the beat as Nancy the Gnat, Willie the Worm, and Sammy the Centipede take the stage. Here's a combination of storytelling, visual art, and music for children to savor time and again. The story has been performed by professionals and by children on three continents! Other honors include: Writer's Digest National Self-Published Book Award Winner * Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children * San Francisco Chronicle Editors' Picks.

About this title

About the Author

Matthew Gollub is a nationally known children's author, speaker and performer. He has created 20 picture books which together have garnered dozens of national awards and distinctions. His musical narrations accompany some of his most popular books including The Jazz Fly series. A dynamic drummer and bilingual presenter, he has also performed at over 1,000 elementary schools around the U.S. and abroad, inspiring students and families to read for fun. He lives with his family in Santa Rosa, CA.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 1-When a drummer fly gets lost on his way to a gig, he tries to get directions from a frog, a pig, a donkey, and a dog, but none of them speaks his language. He finally finds his way to the club and all is well until the Queen Bee demands "-a new BEAT/or this band is OUT!" The fly is stymied until he remembers the retorts of the animals he heard on his way and uses those noises to create a whole new sound that makes the band famous. The rhyming text includes scat refrains like "ZA-baza, BOO-zaba, ZEE-zah RO-ni" that just beg to be read aloud. The unique illustrations, gray-toned pictures with contrasting hints of pastel colors, were accomplished by scanning pencil sketches into a Macintosh computer and then re-creating them with Adobe Illustrator. One spread features the gray figures of the bassist and saxophonist spotlighted in green and pink, respectively. The text itself is cleverly designed. Words representing sounds are portrayed as if they are coming right out of the animals' mouths in colored fonts. Together the illustrations and book design give the whole enterprise the feel of jazz, even without musical accompaniment. The accompanying CD is delightful. Gollub narrates with a jazzy beat, and the danceable music perfectly accentuates the story. Children will love hearing this book read aloud and imitating the animal sounds and other refrains. A natural for storytimes.
Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A fly gets lost on his way to a performance, so he asks several animals how to get to town: "ZA-baza, BOO-zaba, ZEE-zah RO-ni?" he asks. The frog, the hog, and the donkey don't understand Jazz Fly, but, fortunately, the dog does. Arriving at the club, Jazz Fly sits down at his drums and begins to play, incorporating the animal sounds into his music to great audience response. The story is slight but bouncy, especially as it's told by the author on the accompanying audie CD, with the narration heightened by the music of a jazz quartet. The illustrations are mostly black, white, and gray, with splashes of color to accentuate the jazzy style. Susan Dove Lempke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Tortuga Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1889910171
• ISBN 13: 9781889910178
• Binding: Product Bundle
• Illustrator: Hanke Karen
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32