Book picks similar to
Jazz People by Dan Morgenstern
history-stuff
jazz
jazz-lib
non-fiction-stuff
On This Earth: Photographs from East Africa
Nick Brandt - 2005
He creates these majestic sepia and blue-tone photoscontrasting moments of quintessential stillness with bursts of dramatic actionby engaging with these creatures on an exceptionally intimate level, without the customary use of a telephoto lens. Evocative of classical art, from dignified portraits to sweeping natural tableaux, Brandt's images artfully and simply capture animals in their natural states of being. With a foreword by Alice Sebold and an introduction by Jane Goodall, On This Earth is a gorgeous portfolio of some of the last wild animalsand a heartfelt elegy to a vanishing world.
Doug Unplugs on the Farm
Dan Yaccarino - 2014
Doug and his parents are off to visit the grandbots. But when their journey is interrupted by some sheep in the road, Doug goes from downloading information about farm animals to actually interacting with them! Doug gets to learn by doing—he herds sheep, milks a cow, gathers eggs, and then uses good old-fashioned “horse sense” to get their car back on the road. Doug Unplugs on the Farm is a lively celebration of farm life and the value of hands-on learning that will encourage kids to go screen-free and explore the real world! A terrific companion to Dan Yaccarino’s first book of low-tech learning, Doug Unplugged. Praise for Dan Yaccarino’s Doug Unplugged: “Without preaching, [Yaccarino] comments smartly on children’s screen time and the necessity of outdoor play and exploration.” —Publishers Weekly “Yaccarino is especially good at slipping in the small, nourishing details that are savored upon repeated readings. . . . It’s a sweet tale and true to the anti-technology, analog strain that runs through much of Yaccarino’s work.” —The New York Times Book Review
The Jazz Book: From Ragtime to Fusion and Beyond
Joachim-Ernst Berendt - 1953
The most comprehensive interpretive history of jazz available in one volume, this book contains a survey of the past and current styles, elements, instruments, musicians, singers, and big bands of jazz.
Mister and Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Loved Her
Amy Novesky - 2013
She had a coat-pocket poodle, a beagle, Chihuahuas, a Great Dane, and more, but her favorite was a boxer named Mister. Mister was always there to bolster her courage through good times and bad, even before her legendary appearance at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Newton’s stylish illustrations keep the simply told story focused on the loving bond between Billie Holiday and her treasured boxer. An author’s note deals more directly with the singer’s troubled life, and includes a little-known photo of Mister and Lady Day!
The Ugly Duckling
Jim Lawrence - 1987
An ugly duckling spends an unhappy year ostracized by the other animals in the barnyard before he grows into a beautiful swan.
The Monster That Stole My Underwear
Kate Clary - 2014
Good for new chapter readers. Someone has been stealing Adam's underwear. He knows exactly who- a blue, furry monster! The monster then begins stealing other things. Adam knows the monster must be stopped. But how do you trap a monster that can appear and disappear in an instant? It doesn't quite end how Adam thinks it will!
Little Tree
E.E. Cummings - 1994
cummings describes the wonder and excitement of a young brother and sister who find a little tree on a city sidewalk and carry it home, where they adorn it with Christmas finery.
À la Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers
Hillary Carlip - 2008
It's happened to all of us—we find, tucked away in the corner of our shopping cart, someone's discarded grocery list. Who's the person buying "Whole milk, heavy cream, ice cream, cheese, and Gas-Ex?" Why would someone need to write down "Coors and Oreos" on a matchbook cover—couldn't he just remember those two items? And what's the person like who scrawled their list on a PROZAC notepad? Taking her clues from the items listed, the types of paper written on, the handwriting, and even misspellings ("Aunt Spray"), Hillary saw that each list—at once mundane and personal—offered an intimate peek into a complete stranger's life. She chose 26 lists and imagined who the shoppers might be. She then transformed herself into all 26 people, one by one, literally stepping into each character—all ages, genders, and ethnicities—with hair, makeup, outfits, and one Fu Manchu. Photographer Barbara Green then captured unforgettable images of Hillary portraying these shoppers at their neighborhood markets. Hillary came to love these characters, so her accompanying stories for each are as poignant and hilarious as the photographs. She brings to life richly imagined inner worlds, including one for macho Woody, a self-described "Lady's Man with NO BANKRUPTCIES ready to meet just one Special Lady with NO KIDS." After getting to know these grocery shoppers through Miss Carlip's dedicated voyeurism, going to the supermarket will never be the same.
Harlem Renaissance Party
Faith Ringgold - 2015
Along the way, they meet famous writers, musicians, artists, and athletes, from Langston Hughes and W.E.B. Du Bois to Josephine Baker and Zora Neale Hurston and many more, who created this incredible period. And after an exciting day of walking with giants, Lonnie fully understands why the Harlem Renaissance is so important.Faith Ringgold's bold and vibrant illustrations capture the song and dance of the Harlem Renaissance while her story will captivate young readers, teaching them all about this significant time in our history. A glossary and further reading list are included in the back of the book.
The Sikhs
Raghu Rai - 1952
Here is a rare collection of photographs taken by one of the country's best photographers.
Jazz On A Saturday Night
Leo Dillon - 2007
Leo and Diane Dillon use bright colors and musical patterns that make music skip off the page in this toe-tapping homage to many jazz greats. From Miles Davis and Charlie Parker to Ella Fitzgerald, here is a dream team sure to knock your socks off. Learn about this popular music form and read a biography of each player pictured-and then hear each instrument play on a specially produced CD. What's the featured song? "Jazz on a Saturday Night," written and recorded to accompany this book.
The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy is Enlightening
Chris Raschka - 2014
Jazz musician Sun Ra (1914–1993) always said that he came from Saturn. Being from another planet, he was naturally intrigued by everything earthly — especially music, because music is the one thing on Earth most like the stars. Earthlings themselves confused Sun Ra, the way they sorted themselves by color and fought wars against one another. So he made music. And he traveled with other musicians and singers, calling themselves the Sun Ra Arkestra, playing, singing, and dancing for people all over the planet. Because music, he said, is what holds us all together. Join acclaimed author-illustrator Chris Raschka in celebrating a legend of the jazz world who was truly one of a kind.
The Big Itch
Alison Inches - 2003
He even rubs his back against an apple tree--until all the apples fall! Emily Elizabeth wants to take him to the vet, but he doesn't want to go. Finally he learns to trust her, and the vet helps make it all better. Funny and touching, this Big Red Reader is just right for beginning readers.
Cats' Night Out
Caroline Stutson - 2010
The short rhyming text makes it a perfect read-aloud treat, and with vivid illustrations from a breakout DreamWorks animator, readers and listeners alike will be thrilled to see what happens one night on Easy Street when a pair of cats start to groove to the beat.
A Day in the Life of the Soviet Union
Rick Smolan - 1987
As the Soviet people looked back on decades of war and famine, conquest and achievement, and forward to sweeping changes during a time of new leadership and openness, the photographers were granted unprecedented access to homes, factories, schools and even prisons. They traveled to all 15 Soviet republics and across 11 time zones. They ventured into areas that have been closed to outsiders for centuries, and they came back with candid images of the daily life of the people behind the headlines, capturing a lost Soviet era, the twilight of a country.