What a cute book that takes naptime on a rockin' road trip tour!  Be a napping groupie for a meant-to-be PBJamz!  The perfect book for your budding rockstar, your non-napping little, your performer-in-training . . . the humorous word play and adult Easter eggs (rock'n'roll style) make this fun tome a perfect read for the whole family.  Besides the PBJamz mention, the playlist at the back is one of my favorite parts!  ;-)

Nothing like an oldie, but goodie. Everyone loves this old favorite that is mentioned right in the book.  This is a live performance by Bill Haley and His Comets from 1954. If you want to enjoy some additional musical Easter eggs from the book, check out the two playlists in the links section below. One has lots of music for teachers and families to use in conjunction with the book, and the other is a straight playlist of Jimmy's Jams. (Please be aware that Jimmy's Jams are the actual rock'n'roll songs, and not edited for language or content, so make sure that you preview songs to make sure they meet YOUR standards before sharing them with littles.)

ELA (English/Language arts) (**You can tell from the vocabulary  and the puns/word play used in this book that, while the character is VERY young, the vocabulary and the content will also appeal to older kids, and the comprehension involves deciphering multi-meaning words, so this books is excellent for primary/elementary for the content, while younger children will enjoy the read-alouds and will probably enjoy some of the humor.)

• Puns/word play!  They are dominant in this book.  There are many ways you could integrate this into your classroom.
  • Search for the examples; make a list
  • Write a paragraph about what the pun really means. (ie. When the author says Jimmy dropped a number two hit that left everyone gasping, what he really means is that Jimmy did a number two bathroom accident. He pooped.  It must have been a bad one based on the art on that page.  The yucky green color tells you it was terrible and the expressions on the other shoppers' faces verify that.) This is great for using text evidence, too.
  • Use a different topic (or the same one. . .) and try to create your own list of puns/word play.
• Use the writing prompts below for writing connections.
• Talk about how the illustrations support and enhance the text.
• Lots of rockin' vocabulary: 
  • star
  • righteous wail
  • reviews
  • rock
  • heavy metal
  • jam
  • grunge
  • rock opera
  • fan
  • show
  • on the road
  • solos
  • encores
  • ballads
  • superstar
  • number 2 hit
  • fame
  • life on the road
  • wardrobe
  • tune
  • washed-up
  • spinning out of control
  • wrong side of the law
  • graffiti
  • paparazzi
  • showtime
  • rock bottom
  • performance
  • classic hits
  • crowd
  • shredded
  • power chord
  • stage dive

Art

• Check the Pinterest board in the links section for lots of rockin' art projects related to the book.

Science

• STEM activity -- make a speaker or a microphone

Math

• Create story problems using characters/items from the book.
• Use the grocery store as a kick-off point and talk about money
• "Rock around the Clock" to tell time to the hour

#1.  Write in as many different ways as possible. We are creatures of habit, and many of us have one spot and one style when it comes to our writing, but different approaches use different parts of your brain. Write your story in pencil, draw it (stick figures are okay!) type it out, use voice to text. Write it forwards and backwards. You never know what part of your brain the answers are hiding in, so engage as much of it as possible. 

#2.  Read it aloud, and ask others to read it to you. Something that may sound great in your head may not match up when read aloud. Read your story aloud as you go, and once you feel it is in a good place, ask others to read it to you. Listen for places where they stumble, for what parts seem exciting to them. 
​
#3.  Use mentor text with post it notes. Write your story on post it notes, then stick them in your mentor text and read it aloud. I used Mustache Baby when writing Rock Stars Don't Nap. 

YouTube playlist "Jimmy's Jams" -- Warning:  Some songs contain language and adult content. Please preview before sharing with kids and especially before showing in a school setting.

YouTube playlist PBJamz: ROCK STARS DON'T NAP A list of songs and musical activities that go well with the book.  *These should be safe for school settings, but always preview before showing content to be sure it is appropriate for your context.

Pinterest board with images, videos, activities, etc. (I'll keep adding to this.)

The perfect snack for little rock'n'rollers  is a peanut butter and jelly roll-up. Rock up and roll up and eat up!  The recipe is here. Enjoy!

Website

Twitter/X

To purchase ROCK STARS DON'T NAP on Amazon



​For a giveaway, Jason has generously offered a critique of a humorous picture book manuscript to one lucky winner! Simply leave a comment below no later than 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, May 29, to be entered. For an extra entry, copy and paste the link for your Amazon review for ROCK STARS DON'T NAP. Let's try to help Jason get those 50 reviews!

This lovely little tome is a perfect gift for every piano lover in your world -- especially if they are also a music teacher!  It will have a special place on their shelf and in their hearts!  Pianos have feelings  -- and wishes . . . or at least if they did, this is maybe what it would be like.  Piano has a special friendship with Amy as she learns to play Piano. Eventually they make beautiful music together, but as she grows up and gets busy, Piano gets left behind.  Enter Rupert, the little brother. With his high energy and booger-covered fingers, Piano is not fond of the music they make together. What Piano didn't know was that their wish would come true in a most beautiful way.  I get a bit teary at the end every time I read it because it's so sweet and so perfect!

Since this song is loosely referenced in the text, it's a perfect companion. Kids will be captivated by the movement, but there are also some lovely musical elements to focus on here to use it as a teaching tool.  A great piece for calming kids down too, when they get wound up. Use it for deep breathing, stretching, or your favorite calming method. Just having students watch the mesmerizing video may help calm them down. Check the YouTube playlist coming in part 2 of the episode (links section) for more lovely piano music referenced in the book as well as more piano fun for kids.

The most obvious teaching topics for music class from this book are piano skills and activities and scales.  There are many ways to integrate those into class. Check out the YouTube playlist and the Pinterest board in the links section for other ideas and specific ways to use them. 

1. Practice scales on written keyboard worksheets or whiteboards
2. Label piano worksheets or fun labeling activities.
3. Sing scales or play scales.
4. Introduce Solfege and hand signs

You can also pull out music mentioned in the book and do activities with the musical pieces/composers:

1. Beethoven (Moonlight Sonata, Ode to Joy)
2. Ellington (Daydreams)

​The book also mentions adagios and boogie-woogies, so that would be another direction you could go.

There is also lots of musical vocabulary:

1. scales
2. adagios
3. boogie-woogie
4. sharps
5. flats
6. melodies
7. keyboard
8. keys
9. notes
10. strings

Another direction you could go using this book is to talk about careers in music represented in this book:
Piano teacher
Piano tuner
Elementary music teacher
(Those are specifically mentioned, but you could use it to talk about other careers in music as well.)

Pinterest board with piano lessons, motivational thoughts, etc.

YouTube playlist full of piano pieces, lessons, teaching activities and lots more.

MY PIANO by Jen Fier Jasinski is a perfect companion book to this one.  You can find the PBJamz episode here
*Be sure to check out the YouTube playlist and the Pinterest boards for that episode too, since there are lots of crossovers.

Peanut butter and jelly cheesecake bars are delicious enough to help you or your young one power through the most grueling piano practice session, but elegant enough to serve at a celebratory recital -- or anything in between.  Protein, tanginess, sweetness -- these bars have it all.  Wanna make some of your own?  Find the recipe here.

Below, find all of Colleen's socials and contact info.
If you'd like to purchase PIANO WANTS TO PLAY,  here's the Amazon link, but if you have an indie bookstore nearby, we'd love for you to purchase from them.
Website: https://ckongsavage.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/kongsavage/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kongsavage.bsky.social

Colleen has kindly offered a copy of PIANO WANTS TO PLAY along with some SWAG and a signed bookplate to one lucky winner!  To be entered, simply leave a comment below.