The Jazz Fly
 Matthew Gollub, Illustrated by Karen Hanke
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 2000 Tortuga Press, Santa Rosa CA USA
  ISBN: 1889910171


What's the buzz? It's a fly who speaks jazz & he's asking different critters which way to town. The frog, the hog, the donkey & the dog all say it differently yet the Jazz Fly hears music in their words.

This story, starring The Jazz Bugs, is all about the inventive spirit in all of us - especially in jazz; the benefits of learning to speak other languages & communicate with other beings.

Karen Hanke's vivid & vibrantly elegant illustrations zing & zap you from each page. I loved Sammy the Centipede & Willie the Worm - hoppin' & boppin' & the Jazz Club is jammin'. Weird & wonderful!

Until the Queen Bee sits down in a huff & demands the Jazz Bugs play something new! Whew!

There's a CD to listen to with swingin' rhythms & rhymes as Matthew narrates his story & the Jazz Bugs jam the scene.

The Jazz Fly is different & fun - a real tongue-twisted; joyous with anticipation, invention & inspiration.

Matthew Gollub is the author of 9 acclaimed books for young people. Each year, he delights audiences at schools & conferences with his infectious mix of storytelling & drumming. Although fluent in Spanish & Japanese, he says that traveling through countries where he did not speak the language gave him the idea for the befuddled Jazz Fly. He lives in Santa Rosa, California with his wife & son. His other books are: Cool Melons - Turn to Frogs! & The Moon Was at a Fiesta.

Karen Hanke knew from the time she was in kindergarten that she wanted to be an artist. An avid distance runner, she finds artistic inspiration while training for ultramarathons. She also lives in Santa Rosa with her husband & English bulldog & works as a freelance illustrator & designer. This is her first book for children.
(05/27/01)

Rebecca