ALA Booklist

Acoustic Rooster hopes to win the Barnyard Talent Show. But first he needs a band. Turned away by Thelonius Monkey, Mules Davis, and Ella Finchgerald, he starts his own jazz band with Duck Ellington, Bee Holiday, and Poncho Ernesto Cruz. Focusing on the performers, anthropomorphic animals who bear resemblance to the real-life musicians in small details (Duck's top hat, Bee's flower in her hair), Bowers' illustrations cleverly fade everything outside of the spotlight to shades of gray. Rooster cries when he comes in second to Mules Davis, but he heads proudly back to the coop when he garners the trumpeter's praise. Although the jazz allusions (explained in an afterword) will fly right over young readers' heads, kids will enjoy the notion of the contest. Despite some clunky rhythms, this may be a hit for storytime, accompanied by the real-deal music. Pair this up with Chris Raschka's Mysterious Thelonious (1997) and Andrea Davis Pinkney's Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra (1998) and Ella Fitzgerald: Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa (2002) .

Horn Book

A bass-guitar-strumming rooster dreams that he'll win the annual Barnyard Talent Show; his jazz-playing bandmates and competitors include Thelonius Monkey, Mules Davis, Duck Ellington, and Ella Finchgerald. The hokey story and middling rhymes, accompanied by rambunctious art, are informed by a mind that knows this subject cold, as evidenced by Alexander's back-of-book jazz timeline, bios, and glossary.

Kirkus Reviews

Winning actually isn't everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show. Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer "Bee" Holiday, Rooster's chances sure look good—particularly after his " 'Hen from Ipanema' [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon."—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world's best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander's versifying isn't always in tune ("So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame..."), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower's canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz's instruments, history and best-known musicians. In all, a high-stepping riff on the pleasures of live music in general and the history of jazz in particular. (Picture book. 7-9)

School Library Journal (Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

PreS-Gr 2 This delightful picture book explores the rich history of jazz via a story about a guitar-playing rooster who sets out to compete in the annual Barnyard Talent Show to find the farm's best band. Rooster would like to join Thelonius Monkey's crew, but the rules don't permit zoo animals. Ella Finchgerald has a trio, but Rooster doesn't scat. He decides to form his own band. "So, he went to see his cousin,/a pianist of great fame./And found him on the riverbank./Duck Ellington's his name." Duck, in top hat and bow tie, takes Rooster to the famed Cotton Club to hear Bee Holiday and other jazzy animals perform. Although the barnyard chicks "swoon" when Rooster's group plays The Hen from Ipanema , not even an encore in "grand finale style" wins the band first prize. Still, shades-wearing Mules Davis's comment, "That Rooster sure can play," leads to a satisfying ending. The large illustrations are done in bold colors and have humorous, jazzy details. Notes on "Musicians, Characters, and Music" are included in the back matter. Children who enjoyed Jarrett J. Krosoczka's Punk Farm (Knopf, 2005) will be taken with this one. Keisha M. Miller, South Orange Public Library, NJ