Boogie Boogie, Y'all

A book boogie. (Picture book. 4-8)

K-Gr 2-Art is everywhere in the city: sprayed on walls, on trains, and in the park, but everybody is too busy to appreciate it. Two Black kids and a dog do their best to call attention to how "mad fun" the art makes the neighborhood. When the kids add their own spray art, the block finally begins to boogie and to merge with the art themselves. Neon colored pictures, created with oils, acrylic, and Photoshop, explode off the pages with dramatic perspectives. They are edge-to-edge rich with the details of city life, from a mariachi band on the subway to skateboarders, food trucks, breakdancers, a block party, and graffiti galore. People have photo-realistic faces, their bodies traced with a thick, black line that helps set them apart from the urban landscape. The exuberance is mirrored in a rhyming text that mostly bops along and is chock-full of exclamations and onomatopoeia. It will be up to readers to interpret what is happening on the closing spreads where the children appear to be painting on glass, and art comes off the wall to envelop the people. VERDICT Purchase anywhere-everywhere!-an appreciative take on the vibe and culture of urban life is needed.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Esperanza establishes a groovy rhythm in this celebration of art and music, set in the Bronx. Snappy rhymes flow with repetition, introducing two children who notice the beauty of public art-dance, graffiti, and music-when no one else does. In a speculative turn, "BOOM, ALAKAZOOM!/ The art BOOGIED off the wall!" commanding the notice of the neighborhood, including the two children-who know just what to do to meld art and community. Esperanza infuses recognizable cultural sights and sounds-at a "Boogie Down Block Party," replete with a DJ, " ‘COCO, MANGO, CHERRY!’/ yelled the man with icy treats,/ while the break crew BOOGIED/ to a BombaYo beat!" Almost tangibly layered oils, acrylics, and digital art feature near-realistic stylizations of Black and brown individuals; adult readers will appreciate nods to Keith Haring and Basquiat, while readers of all ages will enjoy the richly detailed cityscapes. A lovingly rendered, upbeat recognition of contemporary art forms, and a salient reminder to revel in art, culture, and community. Ages 4-8. 

Copyright 2021 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.