Mysterious Thelonious | 
|  | | | Title: | Mysterious Thelonious | | Author: | Chris Raschka | | Publisher: | Orchard Books | | Type: | Book / Hardcover | | Publication Date: | 01 September, 1997 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0531300579 / 9780531300572 | | List Price: | $14.95 | | You Save: | $1.50 | | Amazon Price: | $13.45 | |
 This book is also available, brand-new, from 3rd-party marketplace sellers at Amazon.com, from $3.65. |
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| Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
In his second tribute to a jazz giant, Caldecott Honor Medalist Chris Raschka matches the 12 musical tones of the diatonic scale to the 12 color values of the color wheel, then sets paint strokes for notes and color washes for harmonies, creating an astonishing tribute to musical genius Thelonious Monk. Full color.
Amazon.com Review
Vibe, rhythm, beat! There have been many tributes to the great jazz composer and performer Thelonius Monk, but none so arresting and surround-sound-appealing as this small, unassuming book. If you're looking for verbose or technical explanations of Monk's music, look elsewhere. Here, you'll find nothing but pure, punchy music. Scant words jump and dance over pages that bear greater resemblance to musical staffs than still places for text to sit idly. Chris Raschka, creator of Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, uses beautiful watercolors to splash and adorn the pages' multi-boxed backgrounds in a smooth, harmonic pattern based on the tones of the chromatic scale. A groovy piano makes the occasional appearance, along with the slouchy, jivin', slumpy, jammin' image of Monk doing what he did best. Do not read this book--instead, sing it, swing it, and sway to its infectious music. (Ages 4 and up)
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Customer Reviews:
• Mysterious Thelonius 04 October, 2002
I was skeptical about this when I picked it up from the library. My 6 and 3 year olds absolutely loved it. The way the words were scattered over the page made it impossible not to read it rhythmically! We read it months ago, and still, every time someone says the word "mysterious," they start chanting the words of the book. Raschka has done it again!
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1JBRKUTM4SS63
• Weird! 01 December, 2007
Not nearly as musical and fluid as other raschka books (e.g., charlie parker played be bop is fantastic...). this book misses the mark, with a curious layout of the text. a definite dud.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2BYRG8WJBKZPA
• An Abstract Book About The Life Of Thelonious Monk. 07 December, 1998
The author/illustrator has found a clever way to combine the illustration and text, as if to portray the sound of Thelonious Monk's music. I read this to a third grade music class. The students commented that the words were placed on the page like notes on a music staff. They also noticed that the size of the words changed throughout the book, perhaps suggesting the dynamics in his music. Although the book doesn't share specific factual information about Thelonious Monk, it is fun to read. I would recommend it for all students and music lovers alike. As a music teacher, I really enjoyed this book!
- Reviewed by customer ID: A18YKLOLBAO1E1
• Are You Kidding Me? 12 March, 2008
I don't know how the previous reviewers used this book, but this was a book my 4-year-old chose to check out of the library to read before going to bed. We go every week. She picks books that look good to her and pile them on a chair to take out. I am certain she was drawn to the color of this book as anyone would be. But boy did this book strike a wrong chord with me, corny pun intended.
I started reading it to her and by the end I had to apologize to her for wasting our time when we could have read something that made sense. I understand the INTENT was to have a book about a jazz virtuoso that followed color value and musical notes, etc. But this does not succeed. The result is a book with words broken down in syllables seemingly scattered all over the page which would be fine if:
1 - the words WEREN'T in hard-to-read cursive
2 - the words were in some sort of easy-to-follow order
3 - the writer/publisher didn't assume that everyone could read musically
I showed this to 4 co-workers to make sure it wasn't just me. They were a mix of parents and single, writers and nonwriters and every one of them stepped back upon looking at the first page. "They aren't ALL going to look like this are they?" Oh yes, my friend. They do.
I have never been so annoyed by a book before! Did the author and publisher think about the kids who were learning to read? The parents who would be reading to them? I must have sounded like I just started hooked on phonics myself!
The mystery here is figuring out how to overcome the instinct to read left to right in order to read the blasted thing and I could MAYBE forgive that. But you don't even walk away with a real lesson about Thelonious Monk to make it all worth while.
I didn't even want to give it the one star I gave it but that star would be for visual interest. We love color and THAT it has in spades. Nothing else.
- Reviewed by customer ID: ACRGW1W7RD8C1
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