Werner, Rachel. Moving & Grooving to Fillmore’s Beat. Jerrard K. Polk, Illus. Capstone, 08/2023. 32pp. Non-Fiction. GRADES Kindergarten – 5. $18.99. 978-1-68446-762-4. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
The Fillmore district of San Francisco is celebrated in this rhyming look at that area’s cultural significance. The text points out how music dominates the landscape from the Fillmore Auditorium, to parks, to the Jazz Festival: “Rhymes and rhythms blazed like beacons in the Harlem of the West.” Both the text and the illustrations indicate the district’s ethnic diversity and highlight notable figures including Maya Angelou and Carlos Santana. The full-color, graphics-style artwork helps fill in aspects and matches well with the brief text. Hopefully, the illustration of the cable car will be revised before the final publication, because a green streetcar is shown instead. Review based on an Advance Reader Copy. This book has California-specific content.
Penny Peck—San Jose State University iSchool