Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (September 29, 2026)
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Honors
- Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Here Comes the Band
by Shadra Strickland, illustrated by John Holyfield
From Ezra Jack Keats Award and Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe New Talent Award winner Shadra Strickland comes a dazzling picture book about a young child who watches in awe as an HBCU band takes the field and works its magic.
The game is tied at seven.
A hush falls over the stands.
Get up and stand up, everybody!
Here comes the band!
Everyone has their favorite part of a football game, but at a historically Black college or university, halftime is game time when the band takes the field in this glorious celebration of the tradition and pageantry of an HBCU band.
Praise
★ “Capturing the precision, spirit, and cultural pride at the heart of the show, it’s a dynamic collective performance that spotlights the experience of a young “biggest fan.””
– Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
★ “Richly saturated spreads pulse with movement, musicality, and Black joy, capturing not only the precision and pageantry of each performance group but also the communal exhilaration radiating between performers and crowd. Readers new to marching bands and those long-steeped in their thrills will be equally hooked from the first page all the way to the last, where informative notes from the creators trace the enduring cultural significance of HBCU marching bands, as well as their own personal connections to the topic.
Halftime is game time—and now storytime, too.”
– Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
★ “A great read-aloud to introduce readers to all the grace and rhythm of marching bands as well as the vibrant, enduring culture present at HBCUs.”
– School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW