My Dad Is a DJ - by Kathryn Erskine & Keith Henry Brown (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Trevor's dad is a DJ, and he always picks the best music--But after his parents split up and Dad moves out, Trevor feels like the pitch doesn't fit between them. Trevor has his own music now--hip-hop--and Dad can't seem to let go of his old soul favorites. As the end-of-year dance approaches, Trevor and his father will have to find their new groove to get the party started."--

Book Synopsis

National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine teams up with Keith Henry Brown on this lyrical picture book that celebrates music and Black identity.

Trevor's dad is a DJ, and he always picks the best music--
tunes jivin', beat drivin', high fivin'!
--he's DJ Dap Daddy!

But after his parents split up and Dad moves out, Trevor feels like the pitch doesn't fit between them. Trevor has his own music now--hip-hop--and Dad can't seem to let go of his old soul favorites. As the end-of-year dance approaches, Trevor and his father will have to find their new groove to get the party started.

My Dad Is a DJ is a hip-hoppin', beat boppin', tunes poppin', not stoppin' story of a father and son's shared love of music and each other.

Review Quotes

"This is a realistic story of a child coming-of-age with an artistic parent who looks back more than forward but who can also still grow. Brown's highly patterned and textured watercolor, ink, and pencil illustrations incorporate collage elements, effectively conveying the tensions between father and son. In this worthwhile father-son story, music is the tie that binds." --Kirkus Reviews

"This original take on a family dealing with the strains of divorce simultaneously celebrates Black identity and the culture of music... Brown's sketchy multimedia artwork embodies the fluidity of the music it showcases in dark, neutral water-colored tones and pops of red that drench the background." --Booklist

"Music helps a father and son renew their bond after a period of change leaves them out of sync in this emotionally honest story... Brown's ink and pencil sketches--outlined in uneven loose lines and washed in layered watercolors--visualize the story's emotional push and pull through portraiture, metropolitan scenes, and music cover art and posters." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Keith Henry Brown began his artistic career in comics, went on to pursue painting, and later became creative director for Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has had a lifelong love of music, particularly jazz, and has illustrated many album covers for prominent jazz musicians. He is the father of two sons, and their relationships inspired much of his writing and art for My Dad Is a DJ. Keith lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Kathryn Erskine is the National Book Award-winning author of Mockingbird along with several other novels for children and teens. Her first picture book, Mama Africa! How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song, illustrated by Charly Palmer, received three starred reviews and won the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustration as well as the Africana Book Award.