THE GENIE IN THE JAR

A poem by Giovanni (Knoxville, Tennessee, 1994, etc.) for the singer Nina Simone becomes a luscious illustrated work with Raschka's watercolor, ink, and oil stick figures. 

Readers don't need to know anything about Simone to hear this book sing. "Take a note and spin it around…don't prick your finger…take a note and spin it around on the Black loom…Take a genie and put her in a jar, wrap the sky around her." The vocabulary is simple, and fairly dances with images as Giovanni weaves her story of music and heart. The figures—a small girl, her mother, and a circle of women—swoop and curve like musical notes. The textured Fabriano paper backgrounds make the art seem to pop off the page; the colors are rich and warm, in shades of tea, chocolate, malt, cappucino, and butter, with a vibrant azure cloud. As is true of good poetry, this piece begs to be read aloud; as is true of fine art, it repays repeated examination. 

In the comforting rhythm of these pages, children will absorb a message of faith in the power of art leavened by love.