REVIEWS

• KIRKUS - STARRED REVIEW

  • A cumulative story with rhythm, rhyme, and a bopping bunch of percussionists. Nearly every day, a  brown-skinned man carries a conga drum across the street and plays on  the beach where all can hear: “pat-a-pat-a, pat-pat.” The young  narrator, who has brown skin and curly brown hair, longs to join in, but  without an instrument, this seems impossible. As the narrator watches  from across the street, a skateboarding djembe drummer asks to join in,  followed by a woman with a shekere, a man with zills, a biking couple  with maracas, and an adult and child with bongos. Each percussion  instrument has its own onomatopoeic sound that undulates across the  pages as the beat variations grow. Unable to resist any longer, the  narrator shyly asks, “Can I jam, too?” The way the protagonist joins in  changes everything. In Alcántara’s richly colorful illustrations, the  blues of sky and ocean, the tan sand, and the lush, green land remain  constant while the musicians add as much color as they do sound,  illustrating the amazing way that making music can bring people together  and create community. Alcántara effectively captures the diversity of  the characters in this African diasporic setting, illustrating various  skin tones, hair styles and textures, clothing styles, fabric patterns,  and more. With nearly singable text, this tale beckons readers to move.

  • A fantastic book-jam that delights the ear just as much as the eye.

• PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - STARRED REVIEW

  • Readers can clap, tap, and drum along to a rhythmic jam session in this joyful seaside introduction to percussion. A conga player on a beach attracts other percussionists, the impromptu ensemble growing to include a djembe, a shekere, zills, maracas, and bongos. Wishing to join the group, a child who doesn’t “have/ a drum to beat” wonders whether they can join in and “jam, too.” The “PAT-A-PAT-A PAT PAT” of the conga, the “SLAP-SLAP. TIP-A-TAP” of the djembe, and other onomatopoeia ripple through Brown-Wood’s rhyming, irresistibly rhythmic verse, immersing readers in the percussive experience. In Alcántra’s expressive artwork, bright, summery hues of azure, fuchsia, and lime green leap out against the sand, adding to the jubilant vibes as characters of various skin tones throw their bodies into the music and dance. Ages 3–6. (Feb.)

• SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW

  • PreS-Gr 1–With its steady flow of rhythmic words and the vibrant energy of dancing figures on warm sand, this musical story’s joyful beat will prove impossible for young readers to resist during a read-aloud session. Under a stunning bright blue sky at the ocean’s edge, a young girl watches with growing delight and wonder as friendly strangers arrive one-by-one with different percussion instruments in hand, asking to join a solo conga player on the shore. With every new arrival, the air becomes filled with curvy lines of onomatopoeic words that express layers of sound, while the story’s rhyme introduces the names of the instruments in short, effective phrases. The diverse characters who join the impromptu jam session greet the conga player in distinctive ways—a simple yet enchanting way to construct the story pattern and quickly capture the personalities of the musicians, even as readers anticipate the introduction of a new instrument. A particular strength of this story lies in the irresistible communal moments depicted through the pure delight expressed on the musicians’ faces and snappy movements of the expanding gathering of figures, particularly when the girl dances her way into the middle of the sound. Observing the harmonious combination of a bright color scheme and playfully wavy lines found in the hair, raised arms, and flowing cloth of the musicians, readers will wish to hear and join the performance themselves.

  • VERDICT A story about a delightfully vibrant party of musical harmony, one that could pair well with a hands-on introduction to the different musical instruments portrayed in the story in interactive or musical read-aloud sessions.

• BCCB ( Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books )

  • Surrounded by palm trees, sand, and blue ocean views, a man sets down a conga, rolls his wrists, and begins to play. Our young narrator looks longingly on, wishing to join the man but lacking a drum. Someone new skates by with a djembe, and the child watches as the two drummers start playing together, the sounds of their rhythmic romp rolling through like a beach breeze: “PAT-A-PAT-A PAT PAT. SLAP-SLAP. TIP-A-TAP.” More people flock to the expanding musical jam with different percussive instruments, like a a shekere, some zills, and maracas. Every time, the narrator asks, “Will they jam, too?” and of course, the additional musicians are warmly welcomed. Brown-Wood’s short and satisfying rhyming couplets provide a steady beat to guide Alcántara’s colorfully energetic marker-and-Photoshop illustrations that leap off the page with movement. Superimposed, rainbow-colored, double-line strokes represent the sounds of the ensemble of drumbeats filling the air. Tension builds as the drum-less narrator works up the courage to ask to join the jam, and readers will be delighted to see that while the child may not have an instrument, the young one still has plenty of rhythmic skills to share. Surely a storytime winner, this radiant picture book will keep kids coming back to move and groove in their community.

• BOOKLIST

  • Jam, Too?. By JaNay Brown-Wood. Illus. by Jacqueline Alcántara Feb. 2024. 32p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen, $18.99 (9780593323762). PreS–Gr. 3 Along a sunny seashore, from a small wooden house with a thatched roof, a child witnesses a beckoning scene. It begins simply enough, with one man playing a conga drum. Using colloquial greetings such as, “Hey there, brother,” “What’s up, my peeps,” “Hola, amigos,” and “Good day there, mates,” suggesting people of different ages and backgrounds, a circle of musicians forms on the beach. The names of the instruments are highlighted with bold text, but if the words are unfamiliar, readers can lean on the marker and Photoshop images to identify their characteristics. As people playing djembe, shekere, zills, maracas, and bongos join the conga player, the child watching from across the street is drawn to the music. Moving closer bit by bit, the child decides to take a chance, despite not having an instrument, and proves more than ready to dance. This entertaining cumulative tale demonstrates the rhythmic power of music to bring people together in friendship. — Lucinda Whitehurst