Monthly
Special
Music
The books recommended below received starred reviews within
the last several years. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual
child is the real criterion.
Handel, Who Knew What He Liked
written by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Candlewick)
A clearly defined theme, a lively text, and stunning illustrations
make this in-depth biography a totally harmonious experience. Grade
level: 4–6. 48 pages.
Strange Mr. Satie written by
M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Petra Mathers (Viking)
Both creators channel the French composer’s spirit of risk-taking
in their verbal and visual depictions of the notoriously mercurial
man and his artistry. Grade level: 4–6. 48 pages.
All Night, All Day: A Child’s
First Book of African-American Spirituals illustrated by Ashley
Bryan (Atheneum)
An exuberance of warm colors and great variety in pattern and design
distinguish the illustrations in this splendid new collection of
twenty spirituals, with piano accompaniments and guitar chords included.
Grade level: Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.
Let It Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals
illustrated by Ashley Bryan (Atheneum)
Bryan’s talent for imagery is at its peak in this dynamic,
monumental, and deeply stirring setting of spiritual lyrics to cut-paper
illustrations. Grade level: 4–6. 48 pages.
Woody Guthrie: Poet of the People
written and illustrated by Bonnie Christensen (Knopf)
The relationship between Guthrie’s experiences wandering across
the United States and his songwriting is richly contextualized with
historical background. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.
What Charlie Heard written and
illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein (Foster/Farrar)
This thought-provoking picture-book biography of groundbreaking
composer Charles Ives is an unusually creative synthesis of format,
composition, and text, all of which deftly evoke the sounds and
melodies that were Ives’s inspiration. Grade level: K–3.
40 pages.
This Land Is Your Land written
by Woody Guthrie, illus. by Kathy Jakobsen (Little)
The verses invoke the mythical journey of a guitar-carrying Woody
while the paneled pages dance with exuberant postcard views of American
monuments. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.
This Is My Song!: A Collection of
Gospel Music for the Family written by Vy Higginsen, illustrated
by Brenda Joysmith (Crown)
Thirty handsomely illustrated gospel selections are accompanied
by thoughtful commentary and authentic arrangements for piano, voice,
and guitar . Grade level: 4–6 series. 96 pages.
blues journey written by Walter
Dean Myers, illus. by Christopher Myers (Holiday)
Myers’s collection of original poems is so steeped in the
rhythms and idioms of the blues that the verses’ natural music
spills out in their reading. Grade level: 4–6. 48 pages.
John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth
written by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking)
Partridge illuminates the prolific genius behind the music, using
well-placed photos to add visual commentary to an accessible text.
Grade level: 7 and up. 220 pages.
This Land Was Made for You and Me:
The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie by Elizabeth Partridge
(Viking)
The figure who emerges from this carefully-drawn portrait is a true
antihero: a complex and contradictory man who defined the pain and
the triumph of the American experience. Grade level: 7 and up. 217
pages.
John Coltrane’s Giant Steps
written and illustrated by Chris Raschka (Jackson/Altheneum)
In this picture-book reincarnation of Coltrane’s tricky composition,
illustrations become the musical experience; like Coltrane, Raschka
has created something deeply personal that you needn’t fully
understand to appreciate. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.
Mysterious Thelonious written
and illustrated by Chris Raschka (Orchard Books)
Assigning each syllable of the text and the twelve tones of the
chromatic scale a color and position on the page, Raschka makes
it possible to “hear” the book to the tune of Monk’s
haunting “Misterioso.” Grade level: 4–6. 32 pages.
 
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