Yo, Jo! (review)

As this picture book opens, Mama is leaning out the window, asking Franklin to watch after his brother Jomar and reminding the two boys that dinner is almost ready. Franklin and Jo head out into the neighborhood, and elements of their world come into vivid focus; friends pass by, music plays, people dance, new shoes are inspected, dogs bark. Jo's story is, at heart, an exploration of the myriad ways of saying hello; while one friend greets the boys with "Yo, bro!" and a passer-by on rollerblades sings, "Hey, Jomar!", a toddler offers "S'up, Jomar!" and a friend, slapping Jo's hand, responds "Hey, Shorty!" to Jomar's greeting. In the end, Grandpa arrives and asks Jo how he's doing; when Grandpa is unsatisfied with his response of "Yo! Chillin'!", Jo tries again with "I love you, Grandpa," a far more satisfactory (if less conversationally congruent) response in the elder relative's view. In a story that resembles Raschka's Yo! Yes? (BCCB 4/93) gone to town, Isadora has created a complex view of a community with very little text; the simple phrases of greeting ring with voice and character and a sense of urban energy fills every exchange. The oil paintings are textured, with lines from the brush bristles evident in the thick paints, adding dimensionality and directionality to the scenes. Small scraps of newsprint and painted paper rain down in each spread, contributing additional color and a playful sense of chaos to the pages. There's lots of opportunity for group discussion about greetings here; young viewers will also be just as satisfied to sit down and pore over the vibrant illustrations.