Jazzy Picture Books

Poetry is music in words, and what better way to seam them together than in picture books? Even better, books are a great way to warm cold February days with the sounds of jazz.

Award winning author, Walter Dean Myers and his artist son, Christopher, took a look at jazz in art and poetry – and how it reflects the African American experience – in a book entitled Jazz (Holiday House) which was awarded a 2007 Coretta Scott King Honor (opens in a new window)for illustration.

And just like jazz, Jazz conveys the power in this uniquely and truly American music form. You can listen to Christopher Myers (opens in a new window)and his father talk about jazz, their work, and Blues Journey at the National Book Festival on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Try reading a couple of poems in Jazz, then launch into writing jazz poetry, or maybe jazzy poetry (why else would we call something jazzy, after all?). Think about how language evolves. How do kids today say that something is cool or hip? What words – or sounds – make the meaning clear? Can a word be written to demonstrate its meaning – like “coooool”?

Poetry can be about the moment, about feelings; it is personal and it is universal. Just take a look at how one poem reflects Kelly Herold’s (opens in a new window)feelings. I like sharing “Honey I Love” as a jumpstart to get children to share their favorite things poetically. Honey I Love by Eloise Greenfield is available as an individual illustrated poem and in a collection (both HarperCollins).

And for more ideas related to jazz, PBS Kids (opens in a new window) has developed web-based activities so you can actually hear different jazz musicians; and for adults, Ken Burns (opens in a new window) has taken an in-depth look at jazz.