Review: The Daddy Longlegs Blues

Summary: Daddy Longlegs will have kids singing along with his bluesy song as they read this hip picture book! He’s one cool cat who scats, an eight-legged drummer keeping the beat. He moves and grooves and gets funky across the floor. And one thing’s for sure: no one’s better at getting mellow on a saxophone, and bringing rhythm and soul into every child’s home. Mike Ornstein’s catchy rhyming text is irresistibly musical, and Lisa Kopelke’s witty art features plenty of fun details and an urban, bohemian flair; her sunglasses-wearing title character seems to come straight out of the Beat generation. A glossary of blues terms, a list of instruments played by the characters, and a page of facts about daddy longlegs and blues music provides extra entertaining info. -- Sterling

THE DADDY LONGLEGS BLUES written by Mike Ornstein and illustrated by Lisa Kopelke is just too darn cute. I had a great time reading it to my son because it has a catchy rhythm, and I'm pretty sure he had a great time listening to it too. I found myself reading it with a very deep voice and almost a jazz-like tone -- the book just lends itself to this, I swear. My son thought the book was hilarious!

I just liked the overall look of this book. The illustrations are precious; and that says a lot since most of the pages have bugs and spiders on them. And I really liked the easy-to-read font and how it appeared in different sizes and different angles. There were few words per page along with bright big pictures so I think even the most active preschooler could sit through the entire story.

Another thing I really enjoyed about THE DADDY LONGLEGS BLUES is that it was actually educational. In the back of the book, the author has a glossary of blues terms -- I even learned a thing or two. In addition, there was a list of musical instruments played by Daddy Longlegs with descriptions of each one. And last but not least, there was a page devoted to explaining Daddy Longlegs spiders. Since I know almost nothing about Daddy Longlegs, I admit that I did find it rather interesting. Plus, I think all of the pages in the back even make this book useful for classroom reading and classroom instruction.

I definitely recommend THE DADDY LONGLEGS BLUES. It's hard not to love Daddy Longlegs and his bluesy beat! Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of the adorable book.