The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Burleigh, Robert

Lookin' for Bird in the Big City

32 pp. | Harcourt/Silver Whistle | May, 2001 | Trade ISBN 0-15-202031-4 $$16.00

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marek Los. Based on a true episode, this fictionalized account is told from the perspective of musician Miles Davis, who traveled to New York as a teenager in hopes of meeting his idol, Charlie Parker. The text mimics the rhythms of jazz, while the color illustrations effectively convey Davis's isolation in the big city. However, younger readers are unlikely to have much interest in the older protagonist or his quest.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta