“Whiz!
“clink!”
“Whoosh!”
This joyous picture book biography of quirky composer Esquivel rejoices in the weird sounds he incorporated into his music. It tells the story of his childhood in Mexico, his move to the United States, and his experiments with using new sounds in new ways in his music.
The book is full of delightful onomatopoeia. Sometimes the sound words appear within the illustrations. But onomatopoeia also shows up in the text itself:
When Juan Garcia Esquivel was a small boy he lived with his family in Tampico, Mexico, where whirling mariachi bands let out joyful yells as they stamped and strummed.
Or later:
But the singers didn’t sing words–they sang sounds. They’d sing “Zu-zu-zu!” and “Doo!” and “Pow!”
The sounds make you feel like you’re hearing his weird and crazy music as you read.
Duncan Tonatiuh’s illustrations draw a lush world that reminds me of lounge music and the 1960s.
In the Author’s Note in the back matter, Susan Wood talks about how she got interested in Esquivel and described some of the process of her research. In the Illustrator’s Note, Tonatiuh compares his own process to Esquivel’s: Esquivel took familiar folk forms and changed them into new things. Similarly, Tonatiuh uses the imagery of ancient Mexican art and then transforms it to our 21st Century world. He includes a reproduction of one of those ancient pieces of art to show you exactly what he means.
Esquivel: Space Age Sound Artist, by Susan Wood, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. Charlesbridge: 2016.
You gave much more detail in your review, Annette, than I did. I enjoyed learning about Esquivel! and also about the author and illustrator. It really was a complete story, just needed a little cd at the back for listening! Thanks!
I have Apple Music, so I was able to pull up some of his music while I read the book. It’s a very eclectic mix of music, and added to my reading experience!
Looking forward to your upcoming 2017 releases! I couldn’t find the publishing dates for them, you’ll have to send me a note when they are official so I can add them to my TBR list!
Thanks, Michele! We’re in a mad scramble against the clock on final art for my 2017 book, Girl Running. I’m not sure if we’re going to make the deadline, but the art, by Micha Archer, is going to be well worth the wait even if the publication date gets pushed back from September. I love the new layers her work adds to my text. I’ll keep you posted. What’s the best way? Comment on your blog? Twitter? Email?
Love reading all these reviews of nonfiction picture books. This reminded me of Raschka’s Sun Ra bio.
Nice connection I hadn’t thought of. Thanks!