Yellow Dog Blues

The New York Times New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books Award (2022)

A lyrical road trip through the Mississippi Delta, exploring the landmarks that shaped one of America's most beloved musical traditions.

One morning Bo Willie finds the doghouse empty and the gate wide open! Farmer Fred says Yellow Dog hit Highway 61 and started running. Aunt Jessie picks up Bo Willie in her pink Cadillac, and together they look for his missing puppy love. Their search leads them from juke joints to tamale stands to streets ringing with the music of B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Where, where did that Yellow Dog go?

Acclaimed creators Alice Faye Duncan and Chris Raschka present a boogie-woogie journey along the Mississippi Blues Trail. With swinging free verse and stunning hand-stitched art, Yellow Dog Blues is a soulful fable about what happens when the blues grabs you and holds on tight.

Author: Alice Faye Duncan
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Published: 09/27/2022
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.79lbs
Size: 9.22h x 9.78w x 0.33d
ISBN: 9780802855534
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2022
Booklist 08/01/2022 pg. 60
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2022 pg. 53
Publishers Weekly 10/03/2022
School Library Journal 10/28/2022 pg. 1

About the Author
Alice Faye Duncan has written over a dozen books for children, including Evicted! (Calkins Creek), A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks (Sterling), and Martin, Memphis, and the Mountaintop (Calkins Creek). Among other honors, Alice's books have been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards and have been named to several best books of the year lists. Alice lives in Memphis, Tennessee, where she often writes about her home state's people and history. She grew up listening to blues music on the local radio station, and her favorite artists are Koko Taylor, Howlin' Wolf, and John Lee Hooker. Follow Alice on Instagram @alicefayewrites or visit her website at alicefayeduncan.com.

Chris Raschka received the Caldecott Medal for The Hello, Goodbye Window (Hyperion) and for A Ball for Daisy (Schwartz & Wade). His other books include Paul Writes (a Letter) (Eerdmans), Saint Spotting (Eerdmans), and the Caldecott Honor-winning Yo! Yes? (Scholastic). He has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as one of the most original illustrators working today, and he continues to create stories and art that appeal to readers of all ages. He lives with his family in New York City. Follow Chris on Instagram @chris.raschka.