A wonderful biography of Sun Ra (Herman "Sonny" Blount) a jazz musician that takes the perspective that Sun Ra did in his life-- that he was from Saturn. This makes Sun Ra more understandable and engaging as a "character" for young children as his unique life "makes sense" this way. As the first page says, "Sun Ra always said that he came from Saturn. Now, you know and I know that this is silly. No one come from Saturn. And yet. If he did come from Saturn, it would explain so much. Let's say he

The illustrations are amazing in this book. And wow, what a quirky story.

A vibrant, affectionate introduction to the genius musician who claimed to be from Saturn.

Sun Ra always said he came from Saturn.Now, you know and I know that this is silly. No one comes from Saturn.And yet.If he did come from Saturn, it would explain so much.Let's say he did come from Saturn.So opens this book :) And I like the choice -- it feels like an appropriate way to do a biography of Sun Ra. Plus, I'm a fan of taking people at their word about their identity -- and I imagine the playfulness of identifying as being from another planet would be appealing to a lot of little kids...

I'm a Raschka fan from way back. The range and variety of his work is astounding. Among my favorites are three featuring jazz musicians:  Charlie Parker Played Be Bop ,   John Coltrane's Giant Steps , and Mysterious Thelonious .  Now along comes Raschka's appreciation of Sun Ra and it is as marvelous as the others. Sun Ra was one wild dude and Raschka captures his originality in words and images. Not just his life, but the sense and feeling of his music. Gorgeous.

Another book about someone for whom there weren't enough hours in the day to do what he loved (see my review of Thomas jefferson by Kalman). The layout is particularly compelling. "In his life on earth, sun ra rarely slept for several hours in a bed. He took short naps throughout the day, sometimes even dozing during his own rehearsals. When he woke again, he immediately continued with what he had just been doing."

If you're a jazz lover who likes an eccentric flare well this is definitely the book to read. The title speaks truly to its name. This is a story about "Herman P. Blount", family nicknamed him 'Sonny', who at a later age changed his name to "Sun Ra". At the age of eleven he could play any music on the piano by ear. Because he considered himself a "being from Saturn", he took a liking to learn all he could about earthly things, especially music. He felt it was the only thing that would bring all

“Space is the place.”I saw Sun Ra (Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993) and his Arkestra in concert in the eighties two or three times. Experimental jazz, kind of crazy and mystical-seeming, at times, and other times just a good wild and talented Big (swing) Band. Sun Ra, "cosmic" philosopher, pioneer in Afrofuturism, eclectic, avant-garde musician, insisted he was born on Saturn. And/or he claims he was transported there as well in the thirties:“My whole body changed into something...

You will remember Chris Raschka from Yo! Yes?, one of the best read-alouds of all time. You will remember Sun Ra from your time on Saturn. Or will you? His music is prodigious and prolific. His persona is mystical and mysterious. Can this picture book begin to plumb the depths of THE Sun Ra? Yes. The joyful illustrations and willingness of the author to let us go along with the idea that Sun Ra hailed from Saturn, by way of Birmingham, Alabama, will set the stage for play and experimentation. Th...

Biographies are hard to get right in picture book form. Too often the writing is dry, recounting the facts about a person's life. Not so here! Raschka writes from the premise that musician Sun Ra was 100% correct when he claimed to be from Saturn. After all, writes Raschka, "it would explain so much." What follows is a fascinating tale even if you don't know the first thing about Sun Ra or his music. Raschka picks interesting details instead of following a straight biographical line of key event...

This book is absolutely gorgeous -- most beautiful thing Chris Raschka has ever done, and that's saying something. The visuals fit the subject: The paintings are super-bright, crazy, Basquiat-y, unexpected and jazzy. The text is funny, which also fits: ***Sun Ra always said that he came from Saturn.Now, you and I know that this is silly. No one comes from Saturn.And yet. If he did come from Saturn, it would explain so much. ***I'd give this to every jazz fan I knew. But I have no clue whether ac...

The world is a better place for having a children's book about Sun Ra in it!One disadvantage of coming from Saturn, though, was that Sun Ra could never really understand or care too much about money.The New York landlords, on the other hand...

Picture book bio of Jazz legend Sun Ra who was known for making up the rules that he would follow concerning his craft.The storytelling is creative in an out-of-this-world way here and it really works for discussing this particular subject. Watercolor and ink illustrations have a dreamy essence to them.Back matter includes a brief bio about Sun Ra and a list of his selected recordings. PreK-2.

Sun Ra (born Herman Blount) claimed he was from Saturn. Since he was from another planet, the things of earth intrigued him, especially music. But he was also confounded by earthly traditions, such as that of earthlings insisting on "sorting themselves into two varieties: the white variety and the black variety."Sun Ra was a talented musician who marched to the beat of his own eccentric drum. He was one of the first people to ever play an electric piano, and he released all of his music independ...

I see I forgot to note this book down, since I read it at work. This is a fascinating short look at a musician not many have heard of. I wouldn't have even bothered getting the book if it hadn't been by Rascha. I doubt it'll go out much, although if it is kept on display so the cover can be seen, it'll go out a bit more. The jazz musician claimed to be from Saturn. His music apparently was pretty far out there, perhaps from Saturn indeed. Or at least that is more or less Rascha's attitude. He ma...

Gotta say, I know very little about Sun Ra, but I *love* Chris Raschka's approach to this biography:"Sun Ra always said that he came from Saturn.Now, you and I know that this is silly. No one comes from Saturn.And yet.If he did come from Saturn, it would explain so much.Let's say he did come from Saturn."For the rest of the book, Raschka takes Sun Ra's claim at face value. The whole book is a joyful celebration of music and individuality. Loved it!

When I saw in my browsing that a children's book had been written about the life of my favorite musician, Sun Ra, I thought it might be the best thing ever. I was right. Chris Raschka self illustrated this wonderful book, that just had me smiling from start to finish. What was surprising to me, was how much I enjoyed the illustrations in this book. I as an adult would love to have any of these illustrations hanging proudly on my wall and I can see how the use of color and imagery could be entici...

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy is Enlightening is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Chris Raschka. This tribute to the innovative jazz keyboardist and band leader synthesizes brilliant paintings with a narrative that strikes just the right chords for its audience.Le Sony'r Ra, better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, cosmic philosophy, prolific output, and theatri...

Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka has both written and illustrated this picture book biography of the jazz musician Sun Ra. Sun Ra claimed that he came from Saturn. He came to earth in 1914 in Alabama and he was named Herman and called Sonny. From the very beginning, Sonny loved music. He learned to be a musician as a young child and also studied about philosophy. As a teen, Sun Ra was already a professional musician. When World War II came, he refused to become a soldier and instead was labeled

This week I finally got to read The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra by Chris Raschka. Wow! Sun Ra, or Herman Poole Blount as he was named at birth, was a very interesting individual. This picture book biography is a great blending of music, art, and facts about an imaginative and creative man. I was glad to find some recordings of his music online. Jazz was inventive and left a lot of room for experimentation. Sun Ra was all over that. I was happy to find this great article/author interview over at the...