Doo-Wop Pop by Roni Schotter

Illustrated by Bryan Collier. 32 p., Amistad, 2008.

Sometimes when you're shy, what helps the most is learning to trust yourself. In this story, Elijah Earl learns to trust his own sense of the music he hears in the world all around him - the sounds of footsteps, laughter, turning pages and folding paper, dribbling basketballs, a clock ticking. His school janitor, nicknamed Doo-Wop Pop because of the way he sings and dances as he works, is the source of this wisdom. He brings together five shy children, encouraging them to come out of their shells by making music and teaching them to dance and to find music in everyday sounds. To Elijah Earl's delight, the group sounds good together, and teachers and kids applaud when they sing in the stairwell. And, of course, he has four new friends. The story ends with a stage performance, as Elijah Earl acknowledges both the reality of the group's stage fright and his simultaneous experience that in spite of this, they sing well. The irresistibly energetic rhythms and rhymes of the text draw readers into the story ("He says he was quite the sight! He wore a suit so gleaming white, some folks said it was made of moonlight"). This gives readers some of what Doo-Wop Pop gives the kids: a subjective sense of the joy of sounds. The textured, multilayered illustrations help to convey the children's emotions and experiences. Elijah Earl's example can help kids to find their own voice, and in doing this, to move through shyness in a solid and profound way.

Ages: 4-8
Cultural Context: African American