• Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist

Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist

Author
Illustrator
Duncan Tonatiuh
Publication Date
September 06, 2016
Genre / Grade Band
Non-fiction /  4th − 5th
Language
English
Format
Picture Book
Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist

Currently out of stock
Description
Juan Garcia Esquivel was born in Mexico and grew up to the sounds of mariachi bands. He loved music and became a musical explorer. Defying convention, he created music that made people laugh and planted images in their minds. Juan's space-age lounge music popular in the fifties and sixties has found a new generation of listeners.
Publication date
September 06, 2016
Genre
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781580896733
Lexile Measure
910
Publisher
Charlesbridge Publishing
BISAC categories
JNF007040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Music
JNF018030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | United States - Hispanic/Latino
Library of Congress categories
Biographies
Mexico
Composers
Esquivel, Juan Garcaia

Publishers Weekly

Wood (Under the Freedom Tree) and Tonatiuh (Funny Bones) team up to recount the life of Juan Garcia Esquivel (1918-2002), who grew up with music in Mexico, "where whirling mariachi bands let out joyful yells as they stamped and strummed," and made it his life's work as a bandleader and composer. Tonatiuh's Mexican-art-inspired collages translate smoothly to the 1950s and '60s, when Esquivel was at the height of his creative output, creating lounge music using newly developed stereo recording technology. Wood's straightforward narration moves readers briskly through the musician's life, and her descriptions of the sounds he developed ("like a crazy rocket ride zigzagging through outer space") should lead many of them to seek out recordings of his work. It's a welcome tribute to an underrated figure in 20th-century music. A Spanish-language edition is available simultaneously. Ages 6-9. Author's agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)

Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 2-6--Much as Juan Garcia Esquivel (1918-2002) made a great contribution to music history, this title is an important addition to music biography collections. Beginning with Tampico, Mexico, the text and illustrations work together to showcase how a world filled with sound influenced and inspired a young Esquivel and continued to do so throughout his life. Esquivel is shown listening to "whirling" mariachi bands, modifying a player piano to suit his own compositions, experimenting with unusual instruments like the theremin, and conducting musicians in unique and unprecedented ways. The text explores how Esquivel's love of sound led to new ways of making music, most notably in his pioneering of stereo sound and lounge music. Tonatiuh's illustrations are lively and colorful--a perfect match for Esquivel's personality and work. Occasional blocks of text make this title best suited for upper elementary students. Back matter includes an author's note expanding on Esquivel's influence and an illustrator's note on how the art was created. VERDICT A beautiful addition to music biography collections for upper elementary students.--Shannan Hicks, J.S. Clark Elementary School Library, LA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Susan Wood
Susan Wood, writing formerly as Susan VanHecke, is the the author of RAGGIN' JAZZIN' ROCKIN': A HISTORY OF AMERICAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MAKERS (Boyds Mills Press, ALA Notable Children's Book) and UNDER THE FREEDOM TREE, as well as several books for adults. Susan lives in Norfolk, Virginia.
Pura Belpre Award
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Honor Book 2017 - 2017