Hello, friends! Our book today is Jazz for Lunch!, written by Jarrett Dapier and illustrated by Eugenia Mello, a toe-tapping, finger-snapping musical, culinary romp.

A young boy has a lunch date with his Aunt Nina, and she’s taking him to the hottest and tastiest jazz club to enjoy some music and eats. Unfortunately, as great as the music sounds, the crowd forces Nina and her nephew to the back – they can’t see the band, the dancers step on their toes, service is taking forever, and its far too hot. Cutting out early, Aunt Nina promises a surprise for the next day: a jazz-inspired, home-cooked lunch. Nephew and aunt prep and cook together, listening to vinyls of the jazz greats and naming their culinary creations after them. And once lunch is ready, one more surprise is on the way – one that will lift this musical meal to a new level.

Electric. First, Dapier’s phenomenal rhythmic text is an absolute joy to read aloud, and metered perfectly to emulate the syncopation and tempo of an upbeat jazz tune. Mello’s illustrations are bright, colorful, and full of ecstatic life, perfectly melding musical and food imagery to fit the theme; they also feature a fantastic diversity of skintones, genders, hair textures, and body types (have I mentioned that I LOVE seeing kidlit with diverse body types?). Endpapers give twenty mini-biographies of the jazz legends mentioned within the story, a wonderful touch and well-integrated. The length is perfect for a story time, and JJ and I had a blast reading it. This is a entertaining title that is a wonderful way to introduce young readers to a new art form – jazz, cooking, or both! Highly recommended, and Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)