Music Is … by Brandon Stosuy. Illustrated by Amy Martin. Little Simon, 2016

This purposefully inclusive board book celebrates music as something for everyone. The illustrations show distinctive, individual people of color with a range of ages and body types. There are women playing electric guitars and a man playing a harp, a little girl with two men—presumably her dads—and so on. Some of the concepts may be a bit advanced for a typical board book audience (Lo-fi vs. Hi-fi; “fuzzy” guitars), but definitions of the music terms are provided on the final page, a welcome element for any adult who may be unsure of something’s meaning. (Ages 1–3)  © Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Try these early literacy activities with children:

• Read: “Snowfall” from Goodnight Songs and listen to the song on the accompanying CD.
• Talk About opposites.
• Sing: Pick a song. Sing it fast. Sing it slow. Sing it loudly and quietly.
• Write: Listen to music and draw a picture of what you hear using colors and shapes.
• Play: Dance to your favorite music.
• Math or Science: Talk about how you can make music with your mouth or your hands. What other ways can you make music with your body?

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