School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Roots musician Secor uses his experience with rhythm and rhyme to tell this story of an African American girl and her grandfather in rural Tennessee. Set sometime in the indeterminate past, the story follows the pair as they spend time making music, he on a harmonica and she with a penny whistle. "Even when storms hit those Tennessee hills, the music they played made their worries stand still." When shiny things around the house begin to go missing, they are curious; and one night, during a storm, they discover that their beloved instruments have disappeared, too. How will they get through the storm without the distraction of making music? By singing, of course. After the storm, a fallen tree exposes all the missing items, stolen and then hidden by a crow. Bond's realistic paintings skillfully evoke Lorraine's spirit and the loving relationship she shares with her Pa Paw. VERDICT This bouncy tribute to Southern folkways and intergenerational relationships is an additional purchase.-Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Musician Secor deftly mines his songwriting talent in this paean to music and family bonds. Lorraine, an African-American girl, joyfully accompanies her harmonica-playing grandfather, Pa Paw, on her penny whistle, "And even when storms hit those Tennessee hills,/ the music they played/ made their worries stand still." She is tickled when a crow touches down and dances to their tune-and perplexed when both instruments and other shiny objects disappear just before a fierce electrical storm strikes. Pa Paw assuages Lorraine's fears of weathering the storm without her spirits-lifting whistle, and the two raise their voices in soothing song. Bond (the A Place For series) captures the narrative's melody and changeable moods in luminous paintings featuring precisely rendered feathers, blades of grass, and emotive facial expressions. Adding a playful note of mystery to the story, whose text incorporates various fonts and type colors, the collaborators refrain from identifying the instrument thief, but keen-eyed kids will catch on. Ages 4-8. Agent: Valerie Borchardt, Georges Borchardt Inc. (Oct.) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.