Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist

I had never heard of Esquivel! before I saw this book but the cover immediately caught my eye. This is one of those books that become a multisensory experience. You can play his music and hear his creativity. You can talk about the Mexican art that influenced the illustrator. You can talk about the 50s and 60s that inspired the sound. It's a great nonfiction book to add to the library!

I love Tonatiuh’s illustrations - they are scene-stealers and add all of the personality to the book. Also, I wanted to hear Esquivel’s music for myself, as the descriptions were intriguing!

This intriguing biography introduces the reader to the life story of the talented musician Juan Garcia Esquivel. Informative, colorful illustrations by Duncan Tonatiuh adapt the style of ancient Mexican art with the story of Esquivel's inventive music, showcasing the power of creativity--Esquivel's use of color to create vivid "musical" landscapes. A grand combination of inventiveness in art and music.

What a delightful picture book about a Mexican modern composer who I had never heard of. Even if you have never heard of him, you get the essence of what his music was like, and how ground breaking it was.

The illustrations are delightful, and the story traces his early interests in music in Mexico to his performing in Las Vegas.

What a fantastic story! I loved learning about this self-taught master of music. Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist was a colorful and charming explosion of information about a very intriguing man. This book will hold much appeal for young minds.

Rating: 4/5 Recommend: Yes Audience: All Status: G Source: NetGalley

What a fantastic story about a relatively unknown Mexican composer and music artist (unknown to me anyway)! Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist is a lovely little book that is colourful and descriptive and full of fun information about a very intriguing man - I can see younger people learning a lot from this - if they want something enough and practice there is no reason why they shouldn't succeed - follow your dreams.

Loved this picture book about the musician Esquivel, who pushed boundaries of modern jazz music. The pictures are lovely-a combination of modern art and Aztec art, which really drives home the point of Esquivel's music-blending the old with the news. This is going to be a great book to introduce kids to world of modern jazz.

Great text about a relatively unknown artist out of Mexico who changed music with his innovative sounds and ideas. Great book for a classroom library, especially for multicultural lessons or celebrations.

Wood's picture book biography of the Mexican composer and band leader Juan Esquivel playfully captures his innovation and energy. Esquivel made up for his lack of traditional music training in imagination and hard work. He was a pioneer in the use of stereo recording and the use of unusual instruments and imagery in music. The book begs to be read aloud, with it's onomatopoeia and playful storytelling. Tonatiuh's illustrations combine fashion and textures of the 1960's with style of ancient Mexican Art of the fifteenth and sixteenth century, with colorful figures always shown in profile. Extensive notes from both the author and the illustrator give more information about Esquivel and explain what captivated them about this unusual artist.

So glad this wonderful story is being told. Everyone, but especially our Hispanic kids, need to know the contributions of Juan a esquivel. Plus Duncan Tonatiuh does another awesome job with the illustrations. What a tremendous collaboration. I will be receiving this for our elementary library through Junior a Library Guild. Can't wait to share with my students.

An excellent book about the fascinating story of the man behind that space-age sound. The art is lovely and really makes the book.