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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening Hardcover - 2014

by Chris Raschka; Chris Raschka (Illustrator)


From the publisher

Chris Raschka has received the Caldecott Medal twice, for The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norman Juster and for A Ball for Daisy, which he wrote and illustrated. He is the acclaimed illustrator of many books for children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes?; I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson; Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales; The Grasshopper’s Song by Nikki Giovanni; and A Poke in the I, A Kick in the Head, and A Foot in the Mouth, all edited by Paul B. Janeczko. Chris Raschka lives in New York City.

Details

  • Title The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening
  • Author Chris Raschka; Chris Raschka (Illustrator)
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition 1st Printing
  • Pages 40
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Candlewick Press (MA), Somerville, MA
  • Date 2014-05-13
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Dust Cover, Illustrated, Price on Product - Canadian
  • ISBN 9780763658069 / 0763658065
  • Weight 0.75 lbs (0.34 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.8 x 8 x 0.5 in (22.35 x 20.32 x 1.27 cm)
  • Ages 06 to 09 years
  • Grade levels 1 - 4
  • Reading level 1000
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
    • Ethnic Orientation: African American
  • Library of Congress subjects African Americans, Jazz musicians - United States
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2013944131
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

This tribute to the innovative jazz keyboardist and band leader synthesizes brilliant paintings with a narrative that strikes just the right chords for its audience. ... Incorporating musical notation sheets into luminous watercolor-and-ink pictures, Raschka repeats their horizontal lines in piano strings, library bookshelves, city blocks and the very rectangularity of many compositions. The joyful palette—yellow, red, blue-green, sienna—and wildly gestural black ink celebrate Sun Ra’s unique spirit. Unequivocally stellar.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A fantastical tribute. ... This is not the first time Raschka has captured jazz in imagery, and here his trademark loose gestural style is especially effective in reflecting both the subject’s untethered spirit and impenetrable persona. The images themselves are dense and dynamic, painted on a variety of textured papers and musical notation sheets and full of brilliant color and heavy black. ... In the end, readers get a bright, impressionistic portrait that follows its subject’s refusal to play by the rules.
—The Horn Book

Raschka’s chief metaphor is a rich one: Sun Ra (born Herman P. Blount) fancied himself as Saturn born, and thus his quizzical questioning of the world is depicted extraterrestrially... As an experience... [this book] definitely swings.
—Booklist

Raschka pictures Sun Ra and his Arkestra orchestra in chromatic gouache daubs and silhouette-black lowlights, bringing to mind Romare Bearden’s sultry palette and mellifluous collages. Raschka acknowledges the social and musical influences on the innovative artist... [and] provides a selective list of recordings, encouraging readers to consider Sun Ra’s nonconformity and genius alongside a first listen to his polyphonic music.
—Publishers Weekly

The idea of a picture-book biography of out-there jazzman Sun Ra for kids is a delight. ... Raschka's colorful, impressionistic illustrations are like bits of jazz on the page.
—The New York Post

Citations

  • Booklist, 02/01/2014, Page 62
  • Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks, 07/01/2014, Page 592
  • Horn Book Magazine, 05/01/2014, Page 112
  • Hornbook Guide to Children, 07/01/2014, Page 0
  • Kirkus Reviews, 03/15/2014, Page 0
  • Publishers Weekly, 03/03/2014, Page 0
  • School Library Journal, 04/01/2014, Page 182
  • Shelf Awareness, 06/06/2014, Page 0
  • SLJ's Best Books, 12/01/2014, Page 27

About the author

Chris Raschka has received the Caldecott Medal twice, for The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norman Juster and for A Ball for Daisy, which he wrote and illustrated. He is the acclaimed illustrator of many books for children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes?; I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson; Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales; The Grasshopper's Song by Nikki Giovanni; and A Poke in the I, A Kick in the Head, and A Foot in the Mouth, all edited by Paul B. Janeczko. Chris Raschka lives in New York City.
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Raschka, Chris

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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Raschka, Chris

  • Used
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Chris Raschka

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Candlewick Press, 2014. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Chris Raschka

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  • Hardcover
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Candlewick Press, 2014. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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€6.68
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Chris Raschka

  • Used
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  • Hardcover
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780763658069 / 0763658065
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra : The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Chris Raschka

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780763658069 / 0763658065
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Raschka, Chris

  • Used
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  • Hardcover
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Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780763658069 / 0763658065
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This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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Description:
Candlewick Press (MA), 2014. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
€6.68
FREE shipping to USA
The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Raschka, Chris; Raschka, Chris [Illustrator]

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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Raschka, Chris; Raschka, Chris [Illustrator]

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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening
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The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

by Chris Raschka

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780763658069 / 0763658065
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