D. J. and the Jazz Fest

By Denise Walter McConduit

Book Overview

Where in the world can children hear jazz, gospel, and blues and eat shrimp po 1/2 boys and strawberry snowballs? Jazz Fest in New Orleans

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565542398
• ISBN13: 9781565542396
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.8" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 5 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 7

Customer Reviews

A great introductory resource for the New Orleans Jazz Fest!

The fall of 2005 brought unexpected guests to SJB Catholic School and eventually a copy of "D.J. and the Jazz Fest," an introductory look at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival held annually in late spring. The book was a gift to the school as a memento of gratitude by the particular donors. We had an influx of students that year, packing all classes with displaced children from displaced families because of Hurricane Katrina's resulting flood waters and catastrophic damage and destruction of homes in and around New Orleans. To those outside the affected areas, the devastation was just a story in the news, people to pray for, send donations to, work with relief efforts, or worry about. To those who were directly or indirectly affected, accommodations had to be made: places in schools, temporary shelters all over the city, food donations. My city, Shreveport, became a major hub for displaced persons. So that's the background--a little extensive here, yes, but memories of that time inundated me for a moment. I wanted to write more, but didn't. I'm back. I chanced across this book the other day, forgetting it in the hurly-burly of 2005, and thought what a great way to use this book to introduce a cultural event indigenous to Louisiana. After all, jazz has its powerful roots in New Orleans, as well as "players" in the field (oh, ha ha, good pun), such as Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis, and Neville Aaron. So I made a calendar note for April to get out this book and bring some CD's of Armstrong and Marsalis and have my own little teaching session. Is the book worthy? Absolutely yes. As a children's book, it is a simple introduction to one of the most famous festivals in the world. Crowds are phenomenal. That's the one nitpick I'm going to make about the illustrations. It looks as if the fest is held in a country setting with locals attending. What do I mean? There is no sense of crowd, as if only a very comfortable number of participants were there. But that may have "poetic" or story license. Why overwhelm young readers with sweaty crowd pictures? If that's the case, I withdraw my nitpick. But let's visit the positive side which is everything else. Oops, I will point out one more nitpick. I love the artwork by Emile F. Henriquez. He has a real talent for depicting the human form and face. However, when his characters show surprise and amazement, it is with truly exaggerated whites of their eyes! On the other hand, one audience illustration shows about eighty faces. He makes each of those faces quite individual. I sat and looked at each one and found myself showing the whites of my eyes. How does he do this? Hair color, shape of face, use of hats, skin color, facial hair. Really, this scene is impressive. Standing on the stage is Wynton Marsalis, New Orleans native and probably its most influence modern jazz musician. His story is a book in itself, or several. But let's go back to the beginning. D.J., maybe 8 or 9, learns one day, when h

A SPARKLING NEW ORLEANS TRADITION

You can almost hear the beat of tapping feet in D.J. and the Jazz Fest by Denise Walter McConduit, illus. by Emile F. Henriquez Although D.J. sometimes finds his mother's ideas boring, he changes his mind when she takes him to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. What a weekend - shrimp po' boys, strawberry snowballs, dancing, plus jazz, gospel, Cajun music, and the blues. The author places a fun-filled traditional New Orleans experience in a child's context.