3 Kids Dreamin' - Softcover

England, Linda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1442429445 ISBN 13: 9781442429444

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010

Synopsis

Kicked out of Yock's apartment building because they are too loud, two boys and a girl search for a place to practice their music, until they are welcomed into the home of Mr. Moses "Bass" Smith, an old musician, who joins in as they play.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-5. Ramone plays guitar, Willie raps, and Yock is on the drums; together they make up a group called Squeezed. But they are squeezed in more than name, for Yock's mom yells, "Shut up,/Baby's goin' to sleep./My basement isn't no music place." Forced out of their practice space, the threesome prevail upon Moses Smith, an old blind bass player, who not only opens his home to the young musicians but also joins them in playing at a party he hosts. Overcoming their jitters, the kids realize their dream and rock the house with their sound. The text, except for Willie's rap, is a kind of jive poetry with its clipped phrases, dropped word endings, and rhythm. The black-crayon and ink illustrations pulse with the same energy the youngsters put into their music. Schutzer often isolates and enlarges an element from the text or from a full-page drawing: a single dangling light bulb delineating the basement; zigzags of sound waves from Ramone's amplifier; wringing hands representing the musicians' stage fright. When they leave the basement, the children are squeezed from full-page illustrations to half. They return once again to full-page artwork when Mr. Smith gives them the room they need. A bright and jazzy choice to use along with Libba Moore Gray's Little Lil and the Swing-Singing Sax (S & S, 1996) for a musical storyhour.?Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CT
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

In England's first book, the three kids of the title are a rap group called Squeezed: Ramone is on guitar, Willie raps, and Yock's on the drums as they dream of playing. In the meantime, they need a place to practice their music, and find a space in the home of old blind ``Bass'' Smith. Practice leads to a ``talkin' singin' dancin' party'' where Squeezed gets to play with the bass man. The black-and-white crayon-and-ink drawings, while strong, have little child-appeal; the text, written in free verse, is not rap by any definition. The percussive, hypnotic quality inherent in rap, or even the rapturous making of music found in--for example--Brian Pinkney's Max Found Two Sticks (1994) is not in evidence here. A promising concept marred by false notes. (Picture book. 7-10) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1442429445
• ISBN 13: 9781442429444
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32