The Music in George's Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue

by Suzanne Slade, Stacy Innerst (Illustrator)

Overview

George Gershwin heard music all the time—at home, at school, even on New York City's busy streets. Classical, ragtime, blues, and jazz—George's head was filled with a whole lot of razzmatazz! With rhythmic swirls of words and pictures, author Suzanne Slade and illustrator Stacy Innerst beautifully reveal just how brilliantly Gershwin combined various kinds of music to create his masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue, a surprising and whirlwind composition of notes, sounds, and one long wail of a clarinet. Includes author's note, timeline, and bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629790992
Publisher:	Highlights
Publication date:	09/13/2016
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	93,860
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 11 Years

About the Author

Suzanne Slade is the award-winning author of dozens of children's nonfiction books, including The Inventor's Secret, Friends for Freedom, and The House That George Built. She lives in Libertyville, Illinois, with her husband, two children, and adorable dog, Corduroy. suzanneslade.com

Stacy Innerst is an artist and the illustrator of numerous picture books for children, including Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation by Peggy Thomas and M Is for Music by Kathleen Krull, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. stacyinnerst.com

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/03/2016
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.)

Publishers Weekly

* 'One of American music's masterpieces, 'Rhapsody in Blue,' is introduced here along with its composer, George Gershwin.... 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.... This is fitting celebration of a musical milestone—keep a copy of the song cued up for curious listeners." —Booklist, starred review

* "Slade teams up with Innerst for this pleasant picture book biography of composer George Gershwin... 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.... A detailed author's note, time line, and bibliography add further depth to this well-researched work. Readers will get a glimpse into Gershwin's mind and find the music within. Highly recommended." —School Library Journal, starred review

* "Slade illuminates George Gershwin's creative process, from inception to premiere of "Rhapsody in Blue."... Innerst's acrylic-on-paper compositions, in a striking palette of indigo, sepia, and white, whimsically evoke both the period and the composer's creativity.... Bravo!" —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

From the Publisher

George Gershwin said, “I frequently hear music in the very heart of noise.” In a lively combination of text and illustration, the reader learns of Gershwin’s childhood influences: Harlem, the family piano, and the effect of sound all around him in 1920s New York City. The new and different rhapsody “was a musical kaleidoscope of America’s melting pot.” Of course, many shades and gradations of blue are used in the illustrations. They are also used in the text, which playfully employs a variety of fonts throughout the book and reinforces how nontraditional this piece of music was. The genius of Gershwin is deftly captured. This can easily be used with junior high and high school students as an introduction to American composers and early 20th century America. Be sure to listen to “Rhapsody in Blue” in the background while reading this book. What a fabulous way to introduce an important piece of American music to today’s children. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo; Ages 5 to 10.

Children's Literature - Sharon Salluzzo

★ 07/01/2016
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

School Library Journal

★ 2016-06-22
Slade illuminates George Gershwin's creative process, from inception to premiere of "Rhapsody in Blue." "I frequently hear music in the very heart of noise." Gershwin's assertion in the epigraph propels this playful portrait of one of American music's greatest innovators. Young George plies New York's streets, hearing classical music in penny arcades and jazz outside Harlem clubs. He takes piano lessons, creates music scrapbooks, sneaks into concerts, and writes songs, selling his first at age 17. Later, "Swanee," plucked out on a "bumpy bus ride," sells millions of copies, making Gershwin famous. Seeking to legitimize jazz, bandleader Paul Whiteman plans "An Experiment in Modern Music," inviting Gershwin to perform. George plans a "dazzling, daring piece." Bound for Boston on business, he's inspired by the train's accelerating syncopation: "Rattle-ty-BANG! Rattle-ty-BANG!" His favorite musical forms "blended together into one beautiful rhapsody. George heard his concerto. He even saw the notes on paper!" Innerst's acrylic-on-paper compositions, in a striking palette of indigo, sepia, and white, whimsically evoke both the period and the composer's creativity. Young George roller-skates past brownstones with shop signs that reflect his musical immersion: "Sharp & Sons," "Allegro Co." The final spread marvelously integrates words and images as the premiere ends. "No one had ever heard anything like it. Except George. He'd been hearing beautiful music all his life." George sits at the concert piano, in tails—and roller skates. Bravo! (author's note, illustrator's note, timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews