Summary:
Doo-wop pop is about a group of shy kids who find their inner voices after they are coached by an old doo-wop singer named Elijah. Elijah was once a shy child like the others and found his voice through an a cappella group. He is now the janitor at a middle school in New York. While making music together the kids build lasting friendships and form an amazing singing group.

Reaction: I really enjoyed that this book was about music and some of the parts in the book you had to scat and not just read. It was a very fun read.

Extension:
1. Tell the music teacher about the book the students have read and see if they can try scatting in music class.
2. The students can also be taught about jazz musicians and the earlier music culture of New York Singers as a part of history. ( )

I absolutely loved this book for many reasons. "Doo-Wop Pop" is a story about a young boy and a few of his fellow classmates who are very shy. The school janitor, who used to be an a cappela star, comes in and changes that by forming his own little doo-wop group. The main reason why I loved reading this book is because it had a very rhythmic and musical tone, which was suiting since the book was about music. An example of this rhythmic tone is when the janitor first comes in and talks to the boy in the story, Earle. The line goes as follows, "One day in the lunchroom, I'm sitting solo, eating my PB and J, when Doo-Wop Pop comes over, smiles, and says "Hey."" Another reason why I loved this book is because of the illustrations. I love when the illustrations in a book cover every page, not just one side. The illustrator painted a landscape of pictures onto the pages that aren't too distracting, but still perfectly engaging and realistic. The cool thing about the illustrations is that the people in the pictures appear 3D, which is very fun to look at. It is almost like the illustrator took pictures from a real classroom and altered them to make it look like his own drawings. The message of this story to me is that although a person may be quiet and shy, they still have a voice but he or she just has another way of showing it; in this story the shy students voice is shown through their music. ( )

Young boy narrates in jazzy rhyme, story of his interaction with kindly, proactive janitor with singing past, who puts him together with a few other kids who haven't found their niche to become successful do-wop singers.
Ages: 7+
Source: Pierce County Library, UP Branch

This book tells the story of five shy kids and their school janitor, Doo-Wop Pop, and how he used his musical culture to change their lives. The story is told with a musical rhythm that enhances the experience.
I found the book fun and entertaining. The main character in some ways reminded me of the janitor at my elementary school and how he like to help the students.
You can divide the class into small groups and have them create a song like the characters of the book and then share it with the class. Play samples of different types of music mentioned in the book and have a classroom discussion about them.

This is a wonderful book about four shy kids who are befriended by their school janitor, a former a capella star, who transforms them into a “Be-Boppin” singing group. The message of the book…that we all have talents, and by working together and putting our talents to use, we can achieve something magical…would appeal to any child. The hero in the story, Doo-Wop Pop, takes it upon himself to open up the world of music to four shy children, and helps them realize their talents with a little instruction on “Bee-Boppin.”

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the illustrations and the message. I also loved the musical “words” and rhyming used throughout the book. I think kids would really love to have this book read to them. There is a kind of beat you “get into” as you flip from page to page.

I think after reading this book, it would be interesting to break the class up into groups of four, and have each group write a short poem or song using words similar to those in the book. Then they could perform it as a group for the class.