Barnyard Boogie!
Harry N. Abrams | Written by Tim McCanna | Hardcover + Board Book Formats | May 2017
The Barnyard Band is performing today! Each animal musician knows what to do, but Cow can only moo. This charming, read-aloud book features musical sounds and a refrain children will love repeating. Barnyard Boogie! is sure to enrich and delight.
Click the image to watch a book release video from author Tim McCanna!
In Barnyard Boogie, I designed an energetic, jazzy-club scene for the barnyard band. Bold, monochromatic backgrounds with soft textural details set the stage, while a bright off-set palette brought the main characters to life. I incorporated hand-written text that played up instrument sound-effects.
The scenes with Cow allowed me to depict the farm in a colorful yet natural style. I added characters playing instruments to highlight how every animal on this farm naturally knows how to boogie—well, everyone except Cow!
“…Black’s digitally created, colorful illustrations resemble paper cutouts decorated with chalk. The animals have a Matisse-y look to them, and the full-bleed backdrops, which merely suggest a barnyard, are as bright as the big-eyed animals.” (Kirkus May 2017)
2018 CLEL Bell Picture Book Award in the "Sing" category