Welcome to the Cypher

by Khodi Dill, Awuradwoa Afful (Illustrator)

Words burn bright in this joyful celebration of rap, creativity, and self-expression.

“Welcome to the cypher!

Now huddle up nice and snug.

You feel that circle around you?

Well, that’s a hip hop hug!”

Starting with beatboxes and fingersnaps, an exuberant narrator introduces kids in his community to the powerful possibilities of rap, from turning “a simple phrase/into imagery that soars” to proclaiming, “this is a voice that represents me!” As Khodi Dill’s rhymes heat up, the diverse crew of kids—illustrated in Awuradwoa Afful’s bold, energetic style—gain self-confidence and a sense of freedom in this wonderful picture book debut that is perfect for reading aloud.

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Poetry, Childrens, Hip Hop, Storytime, African American

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 12, 2021

Reviews

[Raymond · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok but the ARC copy that I received was hard if not impossible to read. Some of the font color was really faint and not bold and dark like most font colors in e-books. Therefore, its hard to give this one a thorough review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Annick Press, Khodi Dill and Awuradwoa Afful, for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on October 12, 2021.

[Lolz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rythemic writing and beautiful illustrations - i love the pages with the kids flying, the glowbugs in the jungle room, and the marvelous self image in a constellation of stars

Audio: I liked this book so much in hard copy I had to check it out again, as audio. Listened many times, at different speeds. Fun

[trixxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one-of-a-kind! Young and old alike will absolutely love the rhythm and cadence on each page. The narrator has such a joyful voice that extends throughout the book, it’s hard not to smile while reading it. Definitely an instant classic!

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inclusive and welcoming invitation to join in the serious and joyful wordplay of rapping, with beautiful illustrations. Love the rhymes!

[Anneka · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son (7) and I listened to this as part of TIFA 2021. He rated it 7/10- and rounded up for Goodreads.
He liked the beat and musicality of it, his favourite part was at the very end.

[Shakira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words have power, no matter how they are used. A wizened narrator invites the reader to join a dynamic group of children as he explains the nuances of the art form that is rap. Together, the children experiment with words, beatboxing, and rhythm as they prepare for an open-mic performance of their newfound skills. Though it can be intimidating to speak one’s mind in front of others, these brave children step onstage and pour their hearts out. Told through poetic phrasing, this story teaches how rap works while demonstrating it directly. Relaxed and familiar jargon is intermixed with elevated language to create an approachable and rich tapestry of sound as this book is read aloud. Intentional words are emphasized in bold to draw readers’ attention to them, enhancing the performance element described by this story. Dynamic visuals accent the story and are presented in richly vibrant, cheerful, and blocky chunks of color. The children are seen fist bumping, embracing, and standing proudly as they let their voices ring out. Each image pairs expertly with the text, blending together in a balanced and enjoyable way. Profound messages of support, encouragement, and freedom of speech are echoed throughout the book, signaling to all readers that their voices matter. Beautifully executed, young readers will love diving into the world of rap through this book. This auditory and visual journey is an excellent addition to read aloud collections for elementary school-aged readers.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Welcome to the Cypher is a welcome addition to a market that is largely under represented. It is a hip hop, R&B picture book that disappointingly falls a little flat. It should be lively and full of rhythm, fluid poetry. And, while there are some delightful parts it lacks a cohesive, consistent flow. And, reading it aloud feels clunky instead of fun.

[Nadia L. Hohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever words and rhyme usage. This story has movement.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the cypher...and the world of rap. Created by an anti-racist educator, this positive picture book spins a song of inclusion, freedom of speech, and self exploration that will have your fingers snapping. The rhythm and rhyme are absolutely superb. By drawing from the structure of this musical genre, it departs from the typical poetic forms and rhyme schemes you usually find in picture books. The verse just pulls you into a groove as a read-aloud, while older kids and adults alike listen fascinated. Unfortunately younger children find the rapid-fire words harder to follow though. This can easily be read by even those who are complete amateurs at rap. Bold typed words help readers figure out the emphasis. With a graphical style that brings a poetry slam to mind, the illustrations are also eye-catching. The narrator encourages each li'l one, who all come from various ethnic backgrounds, to find their voice and perform their hearts out. In a storytime, the group can easily discuss what words would represent their own voice. An all in all brilliant picture book, here's hoping that more like it are to come.

[Quyen Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you know how to rap? This book inspires readers to make art of their words through rapping, how words can work together to make music and can help people express themselves. The major theme in this book is inspiration as the narrator explains how words can be artfully spoken and the genre is poetry as all the lines rhyme and are metaphors. Children reading this book can learn poetry techniques and other writing craft techniques by the way the book is written in poetry. This book is a WOW book for me because it is so creative and has a nice flow to it.

The author portrayed anti-bais perspectives in this book by speaking of a general art and not a specific culture. Poetry and rapping can be done by all kinds of children.

[Lindsey Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet, charming picture book that focuses on hip-hop and self-expression. There are not many "raps" in children's books, even though rhyming is common, so this makes sure to feel that in. A lot of the rhymes are lyrical, some were a little clunky, but if you play around with the words a bit you can find the rhythm. The illustrations are simple, colorful, and cartoonish, but kids are going to be much more focused on the words/lyrics.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Age: Preschool-2nd grade
Music: Rap
Identity, author: Bahamian-Canadian
Identity, illustrator: Ghanian-Canadian

Celebrate the warm embrace of a rap cypher: a welcoming and collaborative performance space where rappers creatively feed off of each others' contributions. We begin with an invitation for the listener to join in the fun for the first time, to be brave and dive into the sound. The rhythm of the fierce and poetic text is extremely catchy, flowing like a river, vacillating between raucous and calm.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the Annick Press for the advanced electronic copy of this book. Even though it was a little difficult for me to read, (maybe I’m not used to rap very much), I believe it would be a hit with young readers. Can’t wait to share it with my students and hear what they have to say.

[Jennifer Miera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked the rhythm and rhymes. Not being a rap music fan, I had to look up what the referenced cypher was and perhaps the book could have used some brief backmatter explaining that and also prompts for kids to write their own raps? Those in the know will know.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Daniel Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story! The lyrical rhyming and illustrations were great! Perfectly shows kids how to express themselves.

[Ashley Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how this book reads! It feels musical, fun and the illustrations make the story pop off the page. I think all schools should have this book.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great rhythm and flow. Must be read out loud!

[Y.Poston]

Fun & colorful encouragement for belting out reality to a hip-hop beat!

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Making rap approachable and move it away from the "gang" or "thug" connotations that it usually has....that's a plus

But starting the book off with an old guy saying "come here......" Yeah no

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read-aloud celebrating rap.

[Hilmg · Rating 5 out of 5]

rhythm & rhyme, alliteration, figurative language, imagination, freedom & buzz, musical riot, NYC
“This is a voice that represents me”
“Art from the heart”

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars because how could I not like a book with my name in the title? But seriously, this energetic book is a fun read.