PAJAMMIN'

Inspired by his late father Bob Marley’s hit song “Jamming,” Grammy-winning musician Ziggy Marley tells the story of a family throwing an epic pajama party complete with games, snacks, storytelling, and music-making.

Preparing for late-night fun, four children and their parents don their favorite jammies and enjoy classic sleepover fun: pillow fights, flashlight tag, and, of course, staying up late. Marley does a simple rewrite of the familiar chorus: “’Cause we’re pajammin’! / I’m pajammin’ with you. / We’re pajammin’, / and I hope you like pajammin’ too.” Apart from that refrain, he doesn’t attempt to fit the text to the original’s pattern or rhythms (which sets the title apart from many similar song-to-book adaptations), though his phrasing and tone clearly draw inspiration from the source material: “Lie in the sleeping bag, chill and relax. / One more book before lights-out.” This is at times an awkward read-aloud, with some pages including rhyming stanzas, while others begin with a rhyme but finish without or don’t rhyme at all. Still, the characters' delight is plain to see as they drift from high-energy fun to snuggled-up sleep. The exuberant cartoon illustrations feature a family whose members have varying shades of brown skin.

A sweet and joyful family tale.