With a bouncy, freewheeling tone that would make her subject proud, Weinstein tells the story of Louis Armstrong's childhood from the point of view of his first cornet, a battered old five-dollar junker he scrimped and saved to buy from a pawn shop. He grew up poor, with a sick mother and absent father, in a rough New Orleans neighborhood. But he found a passion when he heard a new kind of music: horns wah-wah-wahing, slow 'n' sad drag-me-out blues, riffs on razzmatazz cornets, and jazzy beats of thumping piano keys. And ever the affable performer in training, he never lost his face-splitting grin, no matter how bad things got as he bounced around homes until finally landing in the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. From there, his talent shone when their band would march the streets, and eventually he got picked up by Louis Oliver's band and went on to change music history. Morrison's sketchy black-and-white spot art livens up an already ebullient chapter-book biography of a true artistic pioneer.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist
Gr 3-6-Written in a playful tone, this story is narrated by the great Satchmo's first official horn. Young Armstrong's love of all kinds of music presented itself early on and was a gift so profound that it had to come to fruition. Although he never completed the fifth grade, Armstrong worked hard at odd jobs ranging from reading newspapers to the elderly to hocking scrap metal to playing in a street band. He was able to earn money for his family, but he was also saving to buy a special secondhand, dented horn he saw at the pawnshop. After dreaming, saving, and a generous loan from a friend, the boy was able to make the purchase. The lyrical, easy-to-read text includes details of Armstrong's life with his grandmother, his mother, his father, and his time in the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. Although he was sent there for getting in trouble, the home was a fortunate place for him to end up; he was given food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to hone his musical skills. Weinstein includes a glossary and a list of references as a starting point to learn more about the magical and fascinating life of this American legend.-Patty Saidenberg, George Jackson Academy, New York City (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
