Sunday, December 18, 2022

Sonny Rollins Plays the Bridge by Gary Golio and James Ransome - ADVISABLE

Sonny Rollins Plays the Bridge by Gary Golio, illustrated by James Ransome
. PICTURE BOOK/NON FICTION/BIOGRAPHY. Nancy Paulsen (Penguin), 2021. $18. 9781984813664

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Living in a small apartment makes it hard to practice music without disturbing neighbors, so Sonny was inspired to take his music to the Williamsburg Bridge where others could hear but wouldn't complain. He wrote many songs on this bridge. 

This picture book biography in verse is a short memoir of Sonny Rollins and his inspiration to play jazz on the saxophone on the Williamsburg Bridge. It was a unique venture most people wouldn't have thought of. The colors are bright and allude to musical feeling. This would be fun to pair with Sonny's actual music with some audio or video clips. There is a fun photo of Sonny in real life at the end of the book. A cute memoir to inspire children to listen to that small voice inside them but it isn't a very captivating story that children will want to read over and over again. A good one to include in your picture book biographies for research. 

Mariah Gerlach, MLS 

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