Using the pattern of the nursery song “This Old Man,” Ehrhardt presents a series of jazz greats, introducing each in a new “verse.” (One who plays rhythm with his thumb, another makes music with his shoes, and so on.) Children familiar with the traditional rhyme will know just how to read this syncopated jazzy narrative, which is accompanied by equally free-spirited and jazzy collage pictures that have the feel of improvisation. Other readers and listeners will catch on quickly to a text that invites them to make music with all kinds of instruments and vocalizations. The identity of each of the “players” introduced is revealed at the book’s end in brief biographical sketches. Well-known artists such as Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong are included along with lesser known musicians such as Cuba’s Luciano Pozo y Gonzalez. (Ages 4–10)

In this toe-tapping jazz tribute, the traditional "This Old Man" gets a swinging makeover, and some of the era's best musicians take center stage. The tuneful text and vibrant illustrations bop, slide, and shimmy across the page as Satchmo plays one, Bojangles plays two . . . right on down the line to Charles Mingus, who plays nine, plucking strings that sound "divine."     Easy on the ear and the eye, this playful introduction to nine jazz giants will teach children to count--and will give them every reason to get up and dance!     Includes a brief biography of each musician.