On a Sunday afternoon, I was looking to do something to beat the blues from the endless world of mazes woven by college essays and applications. I was scrolling through my emails when I saw an advance copy of the picture book Yellow Dog Blues, authored by Memphis' very own Alice Faye Duncan.
Picture this — a lazy Sunday afternoon on a hammock with a beautiful quilt hung on the tree to block the sun, my iPhone playing W. C. Handy's blues music, and a jar of sweet tea in my hands. My puppy prances to the music around me while I sip on sweet tea with a copy of the book.
Granted, it's a children's book aimed at young children from pre-K to second grade, but, as a proud Memphian who loves listening to music and attending concerts, the child in me jumped with joy. This is precisely what I needed to cure my own blues. "The book is suited for pre-K to second grade. However, it is a great blues fable about love, loss, and joy for all ages," says Duncan.
The book's cover is reminiscent of heirloom artwork — something you might find in one of the antique stores on Highway 61 — painted and embroidered on burlap. "The illustrator, Chris Raschka, is a two-time Caldecott winner," explains Duncan. "I invited Chris to collaborate with me because he majors in painting picture books about music. His first storyboard for the book was painted on burlap. I understood then that his final draft would be amazing. To capture the rustic tone of the blues, Chris completed the book using embroidered images with paint on a linen that resembles burlap. Stunning!
"Every American kid needs this understanding of their American heritage,” says Duncan. “If American writers are not intentional to make this history available, there are unscrupulous forces who will erase the history.
"I took a road trip through the Mississippi Delta during the summer of 2014. The idea came to me as I encountered historical blues music markers along Highway 61."
In the late 19th century, a new sound arose in African-American street and community music. A singer with a guitar would use "bent" or "blue" notes, usually with flattened thirds and sevenths in a major key. "Blues is an original American music invented from the belly of Black singers and musicians," Duncan says.
The book opens with Bo Willie fixing a bowl of food for his dog but he finds the doghouse empty. As tears well up in Bo's eyes, Farmer Fred says that the Yellow Dog went down Highway 61. The words and the illustration feel like a boogie-woogie trip down the Mississippi Blues Trail. Bo Willie's aunt picks him up in her pink Cadillac, and together they go from the local juke joints to the famous tamale stands and end up on Memphis' Beale Street. Here they find the dog singing day and night, bitten by the blues bug.
With a clever reference to W. C. Handy's blues song as the book's title, the free-verse styling and the simplicity of Duncan's writing alongside the stunning illustrations is perfect for kids and adults alike. "When I was in middle school, I took piano lessons from the legendary Sharon Stratton Dobbins Nelson. I was a terrible music student," Duncan says. "However, Sharon gave me an opportunity to write an article for the local Black paper, the Tri-State Defender, when I was her student. This one act of kindness paved a road toward my writing dreams."
Duncan has written over a dozen books for children, including:
Evicted! (Calkins Creek),
A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks (Sterling),
Martin, Memphis, and the Mountaintop (Calkins Creek)
Her books have been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards. In addition, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers has added Yellow Dog Blues to their fall 2022 list.
Duncan lives in Memphis and writes about her home state's people and history. She just retired from 30 years as a librarian in local Memphis schools. "I am using this time to research and write more books for young learners,” she says. “My new book for June 2023 is my spirited and spunky interpretation of the American Spiritual, ‘This Train is Bound for Glory.’”
"It is my opinion that music and books inspire literacy, learning, and a child's internal light,” Duncan continues. “Let the music play. More books in 2022!"
More books, yes. I am off to the library to get more of Duncan's books to beat my blues!
For more info, activity sheets, and discussion guides, visit alicefayeduncan.com.