(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jose Ramirez. Mahin's staccato second-person text ("Los congas rumbled into your chest. There was magic in their beat...") lends immediacy to his account of Santana's youth, touching on migration, racial discrimination, and poverty in a manner both accessible and deep. Ramirez's full-bleed Mexican folk art–influenced acrylic and enamel-marker illustrations expertly capture mood and propel the narrative forward. An author's note contextualizes Santana's place in American popular culture. Bib.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Don Tate. Set in 1895 New Orleans, this fictionalized account of the instrument-making street kids who formed the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band is brought to life with bouncy, colloquial narration and brightly colored, super-cartoony illustrations. Author and illustrator notes with historical context about the orphans that comprised the real-life band fill in occasional gaps in the storytelling. Includes instructions on "how to zip-zee-zoo on a homemade kazoo."

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Evan Turk. McKinley "Muddy Waters" Morganfield (1915–83) helped establish the "Chicago blues" musical genre; this picture book biography begins with his Mississippi childhood and his fondness for music--the blues in particular. His grandmother told him he shouldn't waste his time on music. "But Muddy was never good at doing what he was told." Mahin's text is engaging, rhythmic, and soulful. Turk's expressionistic mixed-media illustrations aptly convey emotion. Bib.

Reviewer: Jonda C. McNair | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017