Alison LeBeda - I See the Rhythm

  

I See the Rhythm is a children's book by Toyomi Igus, with pictures by Michele Wood. This is an educational book about music in African American cultures, ranging from genres of the past such as Labor/Slave Songs all the way up until the genres of today, such as Rhythm and Blues, Hip Hop, and Rap. This book describes how African Americans incorporated their culture into their music making, and how that has affected the music we listened to today. It goes into detail about the influence that African Americans had on Jazz in particular, and all of the different variations that there are. In addition to talking about music, this book also gives a timeline for each genre and discusses what sorts of significant events were happening while these genres came to life, such as the beginnings of slavery, the Civil War, MLK Jr. and the March on Washington, as well as bringing important artists of those genres such as Aretha Franklin, Louis Armstrong, and Scott Joplin. This is an important book for children because it helps them dive into cultures that they may not be exposed to otherwise, especially when living in a society that tends to drive the importance of Western Classical music being the most important music.