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knod78's review
5.0
Beautiful illustrations that are not like other children's books. I felt like it was wind notes taking me through the page. I loved the history of Duke Ellington on the last page. However, not sure this book will be for everyone. I think it's great introducing the reader to jazz and the person to help create it but maybe some kids could get bored if not really in to music. But that's a big maybe.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Caldecott Honor Award Winning storybook. An over the top children's biography of Duke Ellington. Definitely overwritten and with woodcut style art that I don't particularly appreciate. But all in all a pretty good general biography. And it definitely has tone and flavor which adds richness to the story of musicians.
qgg's review
5.0
This book is absolutely stunning! The poetry of the writing was gorgeous. It was hard to read to my son who is a very literal thinker. We had to discuss the meanings of so many colorful metaphors per page, but we kept coming back to the rhythm of the original words. Highly recommend.
whitls's review
3.0
This picture book was interesting it was historical and informative but also very expressive. What I mean by that is that it was very artistic and poetic. It brought more light to poetry, music, and art. This book was interesting, I love music and I feel as though this book Can be used to express the importance and purpose of music. Music is often not appreciated for what it is and this book really shows you its magic.
abigailbat's review
This picture book biography of jazz great Duke Ellington shines off the page with colorful, lively illustrations and bouncy text. Pair with Trombone Shorty and Skit-scat Raggedy Cat for a stellar jazz trio.
calistareads's review
5.0
This has rhythm and soul. I love the voice of this story. It swings with that cool sweet tongue of hot jazz. The story of Duke’s life is scatted out on these pages. It feels alive and well. Duke was a popular dude and he was a shining example of a person of color making it in Carnegie Hall and beyond. He was a very respected musician on the world stage. I need to go and listen to some of his music. I admit that I don’t know him that well. I have heard his most popular tunes. He was a powerful musician.
I think the art, the verse, the feel of this books does an amazing job getting this man’s life across. The dancing scenes jump off the page. You can feel the club beat. I love how the music is represented by colors on the page swirling right off it. This is a great story.
The nephew loved the pictures and swirls. He was infected by the rhythm of the story. He liked it and gave this 4 stars. The niece didn’t know what this sounds like so her dad is going to find a few things for them to listen too. She enjoyed the story and gave this 3 stars.
I think the art, the verse, the feel of this books does an amazing job getting this man’s life across. The dancing scenes jump off the page. You can feel the club beat. I love how the music is represented by colors on the page swirling right off it. This is a great story.
The nephew loved the pictures and swirls. He was infected by the rhythm of the story. He liked it and gave this 4 stars. The niece didn’t know what this sounds like so her dad is going to find a few things for them to listen too. She enjoyed the story and gave this 3 stars.