Play, Louis, Play!: The True Story of a Boy and His Horn

by Muriel Harris Weinstein, Frank Morrison (Illustrator)

Overview

The childhood of Louis Armstrong was as fascinating as the great musician himself-and this chapter book biography tells it like never before. Play, Louis, Play! is written from the point of view of Louis' closest companion throughout his youth-his horn! In a jazz-inflected, exuberant voice, this unusual narrator tells it all, starting with the small New Orleans hock shop where little Louis bought his first trumpet for five hard-earned dollars.

As Louis goes from a street quartet to the marching band of the Colored Waif 's Home to the big sounds of New Orleans jazz clubs, author Muriel Harris Weinstein creates a moving portrait of the jazz legend. Includes a detailed author's note, glossary of jazz terms, and bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599909943
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/08/2013
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	740L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

MURIEL HARRIS WEINSTEIN's poems have appeared in The Comstock Review, Nassau Review, Kent State Review, Nexus, and many anthologies. She is the author of the picture book When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Jazz. She lives in New York.

FRANK MORRISON is a renowned fine artist whose work was featured in Our Children Can Soar. He has lent his talents to many picture books, including Alex Rodriguez's Out of the Ballpark, Queen Latifah's Queen of the Scene, and Brenda Roberts' Jazzy Miz Mozetta, for which he won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. He lives in Georgia.

Editorial Reviews

Louis Armstrong's life comes alive in this story. It's as sweet and powerful as his music. I loved it; I know readers will too. What a treat!” —Patricia Reilly Giff, Newbery Honor author of Pictures of Hollis Woods

“I have read dozens of books about Louis Armstrong and know that this one is extra special. Muriel Harris Weinstein has done it again!” —Michael Cogswell, Director, Louis Armstrong House Museum

“This charming book . . . is a thoroughly delightful, well-informed piece of work—as well as an excellent way to introduce a curious child to the inspiring story of the greatest jazz musician of the twentieth century.” —Terry Teachout, author of Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong

From the Publisher

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

School Library Journal

Weinstein, author of the lighthearted picture book When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (2008), lofts another tribute, this time in short chapters. The subtitle's belied straightaway as the narrator, Armstrong's first cornet, begins opining enthusiastically from the display window of a New Orleans "hock shop." Claiming that Louis would "talk to me as if we were brothers, tell me every note in his life" and invoking Armstrong's lifelong journaling habit, the narrator liberally interjects dialogue and serves as a sort of touchstone for the impoverished boy's musical dreams. Biographical details, mostly sanitized for primary graders, enrich the upbeat text, and although a few of Louis' scrapes with police are highlighted, the emphasis is on Armstrong's extraordinary musical gifts and the appreciation with which they were met, from childhood street quartets through his arrival in Chicago.A glossary defines words like "outhouse" and "vocalist" but not the oft-used term "colored." Best enjoyed as fiction, it's still a resonant first connection to Armstrong's hard-knock beginnings, determination and towering jazz innovations. Illustrations not seen. (afterword, references) (Historical fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews