The Music in George's Head

Starred review from October 3, 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 9â11. Author's agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator's agent: Susan Cohen, Writers House.

Starred review from July 1, 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

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2016
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)

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Starred review from June 1, 2016
Grades 3-5 *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 milestonekeep a copy of the song cued up for curious listeners.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2017
Slade traces Gershwin's early talents and rise to fame as a "daring" composer who wove together myriad musical forms with city sounds, building toward the triumphant composition and first performance of "a musical kaleidoscope of America's melting pot--Rhapsody in Blue." Swirly acrylic paintings and hand-lettering in a palette of almost all blues perfectly visualize the "razzmatazz dazzling" music. Author's note included. Timeline. Bib.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)