Love, Lah Lah

by Nailah Blackman, Jade Orlando (Illustrator)

Overview

Caribbean soca artist, Nailah Blackman, invites you to shimmy, fête, and spread the joy of Carnival with Lah Lah and her grandfather in this vibrant and heartwarming story set in Trinidad & Tobago! Perfect baby shower or birthday gift for soca fans!

Come on, Come on
Carnival is waiting!


It’s Carnival morning, and Lah Lah is awake bright and early, ready to take part in the festivities of the day. Join Lah Lah and her papa as they dance through the streets of Trinidad and Tobago, cheer on the King and Queen of the Carnival parade, and end with a grand performance onstage!

A moving and lyrical tribute to Nailah Blackman’s grandpa Ras Shorty I, the creator of soca music, which blends African and East Indian rhythms, Love, Lah Lah thrums with the colors and the beat of Carnival.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593487709
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	01/09/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.31(w) x 8.81(h) x 0.37(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Nailah Blackman is a singer who grew up in South Trinidad, where music and love for her culture flowed through her veins. The granddaughter of the legendary Ras Shorty I, creator of Soca music, and the daughter of musician, actress, and designer Abbi Blackman, Nailah is Caribbean music royalty.

Jade Orlando was born on an army base in North Carolina and grew up in a tiny Michigan town. After a childhood spent drawing dragons and cat ladies, she traveled to SCAD Savannah to get a BFA in illustration. Jade worked as a children’s apparel artist before switching to freelance full-time. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband, greyhound, and four cats. When she’s not drawing, she can usually be found curled up with her cats and a really good book.

Editorial Reviews

10/30/2023

Soca artist Blackman shares the joyous experience of celebrating Carnival with her grandfather—musician Ras Shorty I, the originator of soca music—in this lively picture book based in the author’s real-life experiences. “Wake up, Wake up,” begins a brown-skinned child. “The sun is strong, and Carnival is waiting.” The child hurries gray-bearded Papa into the streets, where masquerade bands march in parade to a “Boom-ba, Boom-ba” and “Rum-pa, Rum-pa” beat. “Come on, Come on,” the child cries, sitting astride their papa’s shoulders to greet the festivities’ costumed King and Queen, who are resplendent in an enormous tiger’s head and a dazzling peacock getup. And after the child and Papa “Eat up, Eat up,” enjoying mango chow, they take to a stage, welcomed by a raucous audience “going loca.” As the child sings and Papa plays guitar, lyrics hint at the characters’ connection to one another. Enthusiastic repetition, matched with Orlando’s fluid, digitally enhanced watercolors, make for a celebratory volume that dances to its own vibrant beat. A glossary and author’s note conclude. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "A lyrical and loving tribute to family and ­Trinidadian culture." —School Library Journal, starred review

"A celebratory volume that dances to its own vibrant beat." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2023

PreS-Gr 2—Readers itching for a reason to get up and dance should tune in to Love, Lah Lah. In this lively musical picture book, little Lah Lah and her grandfather Papa sing, eat, and shake their tail feathers through Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago during Carnival. Their festive day together ends with a duet about their pride in their people and each other. What begins as a fun and carefree holiday story then concludes as an emotional ode to a Caribbean legend. In its final pages, readers learn that Lah Lah is based on Blackman as a child, and Papa is the late Ras Shorty I, her grandfather and pioneer of soca music, an essential part of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. Blackman's text packs a lot of celebratory joy into short, breezy verses, which are harmoniously reflected in Orlando's vibrant illustrations of cheerful faces and swaying bodies in extravagant masquerade costumes. A glossary explains some elements of the book that are significant to Carnival and that may be unfamiliar to a young audience and those new to the festivities. Suggest this to fans of Connie Schofield-Morrison's I Got the Rhythm or Oge Mora's Thank You, Omu! VERDICT A lyrical and loving tribute to family and Trinidadian culture that should fill a gap in most library collections.—Alexandra Quay

School Library Journal