Bookverdict.com

PreS-Gr 3—The iconic and groundbreaking musician gets a gorgeous picture book biography from the wife-and-husband team who created Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson: Taking the Stage as the First Black-and-White Jazz Band in History (Holiday House, 2014). The mostly lyrical work touches upon the jazz performer's humble beginnings in New Orleans, his musical influences, and his career highlights. The watercolor illustrations elevate the narrative; ranging in color from murky browns to gem-toned hues. Ransome's depictions are reminiscent of Jerry Pinkney's artwork in Marilyn Nelson's Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in th...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Today's child may know Louis Armstrong only as the trumpeter of "What a Wonderful World" or as a character in an old movie; the Ransomes' newest picture-book biography fills in some of the blanks in his childhood and early adulthood. The story is told in two voices and two fonts: a black, sans serif font for the third-person account, and a colorful font for (undocumented) first-person quotations from Satchmo himself. While the illustrations maintain a...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

The story of Armstrong's childhood and early adulthood is told in two voices and two fonts: a black, sans serif font for the third-pers...Log In or Sign Up to Read More