BABY STEPS
This sing-along picture book adaptation takes “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane and fashions it into “Baby Steps,” adding lyrics that encourage little ones to move “first your right, then your left” to start their journey through life on their feet. Most of the pages feature a baby or toddler alongside parents, grandparents, and other trusted adults of varied ethnicities and genders whose voices are ostensibly speaking the song’s lyrics. (“Believe me when I tell you anything you put your mind to, you can achieve! You can be anything and anyone that you can dream to be!”) The last two pages of the book feature a brief biography of John Coltrane and a description of vocalese—a singing style that Harris uses to set lyrics to a section in his original piece—that will spark the curiosity of older children (and their adults). Young readers are sure to appreciate this debut’s energetic pace; it is light on text and big on feelings. The work takes on a multimedia dimension with the inclusion of a QR code that links to a music video for the song as performed by Harris’ Silly Jazz Band. Tran’s illustrations are rounded and colorful, winking at the piece’s origins with images of musical instruments on almost every page.


This sing-along picture book adaptation takes “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane and fashions it into “Baby Steps,” adding lyrics that encourage little ones to move “first your right, then your left” to start their journey through life on their feet. Most of the pages feature a baby or toddler alongside parents, grandparents, and other trusted adults of varied ethnicities and genders whose voices are ostensibly speaking the song’s lyrics. (“Believe me when I tell you anything you put your mind to, you can achieve! You can be anything and anyone that you can dream to be!”) The last two pages of the book feature a brief biography of John Coltrane and a description of vocalese—a singing style that Harris uses to set lyrics to a section in his original piece—that will spark the curiosity of older children (and their adults). Young readers are sure to appreciate this debut’s energetic pace; it is light on text and big on feelings. The work takes on a multimedia dimension with the inclusion of a QR code that links to a music video for the song as performed by Harris’ Silly Jazz Band. Tran’s illustrations are rounded and colorful, winking at the piece’s origins with images of musical instruments on almost every page.