Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* One of American music's masterpieces, Rhapsody in Blue, is introduced here, along with its composer, George Gershwin. George, growing up in turn-of-the-century New York, hears music in the clackety-clack of trains and the noise of crowded city streets. He listens for hours to the tunes pouring from supper clubs and dives in nearby Harlem. After his family gets a piano, he begins mingling what he hears with the classical music he loves. The result? Jazzy popular tunes. When bandleader Paul Whiteman plans a concert An Experiment in Modern Music to introduce a wider audience to jazz, Gershwin is on the bill, and all the rattles and rhythms he loves turn into a concerto, first in his head, then on paper. Slade and Innerst work beautifully together to create a book that builds to a crescendo, just as Rhapsody does. The swirling text wraps around the inventive (and mostly blue) art, both literally and figuratively, capturing the time period as well as the dazzling musical piece. Purists may note that the clarinetist at the concert is black, though in reality a white man played; Innerst notes in the back matter that the orchestra is an amalgamation of Gershwin's musical influences. This is a fitting celebration of a musical milestone keep a copy of the song cued up for curious listeners.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Through evocative storytelling, expressive hand-lettered text, and dynamic paintings, Slade (The Inventor's Secret) and Innerst (Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation) explore the making of Gershwin's acclaimed "Rhapsody in Blue" in an account that's as "lively, fun, and different" as the works the composer wrote. Slade describes how music captivated George from an early age, spending hours at the family piano, sneaking into concert halls to hear famous pianists, and selling his first song at age 17. Fittingly, Innerst uses swathes of indigo blue paint in images that seem to sway with the music George heard around him. Even the typography gets in on the action, changing colors, switching to cursive, or blaring words in capital letters to reflect the musical influences Gershwin drew on. "The notes were restless, untamed. The rhythms were wild. Unpredictable," writes Slade as the e at the end of unpredictable launches itself into the air, as if to prove the point. An afterword and timeline round out a rousing look at one of the defining contributions to the Great American Songbook. Ages 9-11. Author's agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator's agent: Susan Cohen, Writers House. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-Slade teams up with Innerst for this pleasant picture book biography of composer George Gershwin, with a focus on Gershwin's introduction to music as a child and the various influences that led to his unique musical style. The culmination of the story is the creation and performance of his grand composition Rhapsody in Blue, in 1924. Innerst's acrylic spreads are almost entirely done in blue and gray tones, with broad brushstrokes, scanned textiles, and paper adding texture; each scene is striking. Slade's narrative is highly readable and lightly peppered with musical onomatopoeia. She vividly describes the sounds of New York City and the "rattle-ty bang" of the railroad train that inspired Gershwin to write his famed piece. Rather than offering an overview of his relatively short life, Slade provides a deeper look into his creative process and the ways in which he melded classical, ragtime, jazz, and blues to create a sound purely his own. Key phrases inked in script among the typed words weave the illustrations and text together. Terms such as staccato are defined by their very placement and spacing on the page. A detailed author's note, time line, and bibliography add further depth to this well-researched work. VERDICT Readers will get a glimpse into Gershwin's mind and find the music within. Highly recommended for purchase.-Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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