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From School Library Journal

Starred review from May 24, 2024

PreS-Gr 1-With its steady flow of rhythmic words and the vibrant energy of dancing figures on warm sand, this musical story's joyful beat will prove impossible for young readers to resist during a read-aloud session. Under a stunning bright blue sky at the ocean's edge, a young girl watches with growing delight and wonder as friendly strangers arrive one-by-one with different percussion instruments in hand, asking to join a solo conga player on the shore. With every new arrival, the air becomes filled with curvy lines of onomatopoeic words that express layers of sound, while the story's rhyme introduces the names of the instruments in short, effective phrases. The diverse characters who join the impromptu jam session greet the conga player in distinctive ways-a simple yet enchanting way to construct the story pattern and quickly capture the personalities of the musicians, even as readers anticipate the introduction of a new instrument. A particular strength of this story lies in the irresistible communal moments depicted through the pure delight expressed on the musicians' faces and snappy movements of the expanding gathering of figures, particularly when the girl dances her way into the middle of the sound. Observing the harmonious combination of a bright color scheme and playfully wavy lines found in the hair, raised arms, and flowing cloth of the musicians, readers will wish to hear and join the performance themselves. VERDICT A story about a delightfully vibrant party of musical harmony, one that could pair well with a hands-on introduction to the different musical instruments portrayed in the story in interactive or musical read-aloud sessions.-Rachel Mulligan

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

February 15, 2024
Preschool-Grade 3 Along a sunny seashore, from a small wooden house with a thatched roof, a child witnesses a beckoning scene. It begins simply enough, with one man playing a conga drum. Using colloquial greetings such as, "Hey there, brother," "What's up, my peeps," "Hola, amigos," and "Good day there, mates," suggesting people of different ages and backgrounds, a circle of musicians forms on the beach. The names of the instruments are highlighted with bold text, but if the words are unfamiliar, readers can lean on the marker and Photoshop images to identify their characteristics. As people playing djembe, shekere, zills, maracas, and bongos join the conga player, the child watching from across the street is drawn to the music. Moving closer bit by bit, the child decides to take a chance, despite not having an instrument, and proves more than ready to dance. This entertaining cumulative tale demonstrates the rhythmic power of music to bring people together in friendship.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from February 5, 2024
Readers can clap, tap, and drum along to a rhythmic jam session in this joyful seaside introduction to percussion. A conga player on a beach attracts other percussionists, the impromptu ensemble growing to include a djembe, a shekere, zills, maracas, and bongos. Wishing to join the group, a child who doesn’t “have/ a drum to beat” wonders whether they can join in and “jam, too.” The “PAT-A-PAT-A PAT PAT” of the conga, the “SLAP-SLAP. TIP-A-TAP” of the djembe, and other onomatopoeia ripple through Brown-Wood’s rhyming, irresistibly rhythmic verse, immersing readers in the percussive experience. In Alcántra’s expressive artwork, bright, summery hues of azure, fuchsia, and lime green leap out against the sand, adding to the jubilant vibes as characters of various skin tones throw their bodies into the music and dance. Ages 3–6.

From Kirkus

Starred review from December 15, 2023
A cumulative story with rhythm, rhyme, and a bopping bunch of percussionists. Nearly every day, a brown-skinned man carries a conga drum across the street and plays on the beach where all can hear: "pat-a-pat-a, pat-pat." The young narrator, who has brown skin and curly brown hair, longs to join in, but without an instrument, this seems impossible. As the narrator watches from across the street, a skateboarding djembe drummer asks to join in, followed by a woman with a shekere, a man with zills, a biking couple with maracas, and an adult and child with bongos. Each percussion instrument has its own onomatopoeic sound that undulates across the pages as the beat variations grow. Unable to resist any longer, the narrator shyly asks, "Can I jam, too?" The way the protagonist joins in changes everything. In Alc�ntara's richly colorful illustrations, the blues of sky and ocean, the tan sand, and the lush, green land remain constant while the musicians add as much color as they do sound, illustrating the amazing way that making music can bring people together and create community. Alc�ntara effectively captures the diversity of the characters in this African diasporic setting, illustrating various skin tones, hair styles and textures, clothing styles, fabric patterns, and more. With nearly singable text, this tale beckons readers to move. A fantastic book-jam that delights the ear just as much as the eye. (Picture book. 4-7)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.