  | Book Details Title: Hosea Plays On |
Book DescriptionReview KIRKUS A fictional tribute to a local musicianwhose dedication to music has a long-lasting effect on his community.Blasi’s narrative centers on aRochester, New York, local who plays his saxophone in an outdoor market forpassersby every day. Told through simple sentences and sound effects, the storyimmerses young readers in the busy city life. There is a lot to unpack in thisbook around socio-economic status as Hosea, a white-bearded black man, passes alight-skinned neighbor kid, Nate, who plays pretend trumpet to him. Hosea’sonly stated goal is to make “enough” money, but the text leaves readerswondering what he needs money for. Locals flock to Hosea as he plays throughthe sunshine and rain. When Hosea has “enough” money he heads back to present readerswith a pleasant surprise ending and a sweet reminder of the kindness thatseemed to embody Hosea Missouri Taylor Jr., who died in 2016. An author’s notecloses the book, offering a brief biography and sharing the immense impact hehad on those around him. Evans employs a bright color palette and leaves thatwhoosh with swirls of faint color through the pages to connect readers to Hosea’smusic.Both a heartfelt eulogy and a musicalinspiration for a whole new generation of young readers. (Picture book.3-8) Read more About the Author Kathleen M. Blasi enjoys shining a light on the stories of everyday heroes. Active in the children’s writing community, she is a former Co-Director of the Rochester Children’s Book Festival, for which she received the 2015 New York State Reading Association Literacy Advocate Award. Kathleen lives with her family in Upstate NY, where, through writing workshops, she fosters the curiosity of young storytellers. Visit her online at kmblasi.com and on Twitter @kmblasi. Shane Evans is the illustrator of many picture books whose accolades range from being honored by First Lady Laura Bush at the 2002 National Book Festival to The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the Orbis Pictus Award® for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. In 2012, he won the Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustrators for Underground. Shane Evans lives in Kansas City, MO. For more information, please visit shaneevans.com. Read more Customers Review: A beautifully written and illustrated book with an equally beautiful message. Such a lovely tribute to the memory of a man who shared so much more than music with his community.
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6 reviews