(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eleanor Davis. Ella Jenkins (1924–2024) longed to make music from the time she was a little girl growing up in the segregated Bronzeville community of Chicago. "Ella is a South Side girl, a Bronzeville bird, skipping in streets that smell of sweets and black-eyed peas." In this engaging picture-book biography, Todd writes lyrically about the girl who would become a celebrated musician and release more than sixty albums for children. Ella was surrounded by music and rhythm throughout her childhood, whether it was the choirs she heard at local churches, "recess rhymes," or her uncle Flood's "silver slip" (harmonica). She was also introduced to world music through record stores and saw artists such as Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong perform. After high school, she moved to San Francisco, where she lived in an integrated community for the first time and was exposed to new forms of music. She went to college, became a teacher, and learned to play the conga drums. Upon returning to Chicago, she participated in civil rights protests and continued to teach before becoming a full-time musician. Davis's digital illustrations, with lots of rich, saturated colors, are detailed and energetic. Double-page spreads on black backgrounds with pops of yellow musical notes and stylized stars showcase musicians and dancers, capturing the excitement and joy of live performances. Gatefolds at the back of the book contain an author's note and additional information about Jenkins. Front and back endpapers feature a timeline of her life. A selected bibliography is appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ernel Martinez. "My mom claims I was rapping before I could speak. / Matter of fact, I freestyled eight days a week." A young MC serves as the narrator of this ode to hip-hop, which introduces readers to rap as an art form that is primarily about wordplay. An early illustration shows three kids drawing on a wall with the word hyperbole incorporated into the art. The word is then defined on the following page, providing an important lesson about language: "Remember that rap is poetry." The text includes several terms that reinforce the use of literary devices -- alliteration, onomatopoeia, and personification -- all of which are defined in an appended glossary. The young protagonist provides a step-by-step guide to writing and performing rap lyrics, with many instructions written on what appears to be notebook paper. Martinez's illustrations in a dreamlike watercolor style include some classic hallmarks of rap: a crate full of records, a cassette tape, a large boom box, shell-top sneakers, and plenty of microphones. The young characters' faces are expressive and lifelike. One particularly effective double-page spread depicts a tree whose branches sprout words and verses. An author's note by Jeffery Boston Weatherford is appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh. This fictional account relates the joyful moment when, in 2019, a nonverbal ("which means he usually doesn't speak much" per an appended note) nine-year-old named Ronan Mattin declared "wow!" after hearing a Mozart composition at Boston's Symphony Hall. With economical language, Boss emphasizes Ronan's silence: "'Shall we go to the beach?' Ronan is quiet...'Shall we go to the park?' Ronan is quiet." Suddenly, Grandfather bursts in, wearing classy attire, and invites Ronan to the symphony. Mother and Father seem concerned but agree, and Grandfather, Ronan, and Ronan's little dog drive to the noisy city for the show. Kheiriyeh employs warm colors, with an emphasis on reds, in her inviting mixed-media illustrations. The musicians and audience members are humorously exaggerated, with dramatic hairstyles and old-fashioned clothes. Visually, the book soars when the music (identified in the author's note as Mozart's Masonic Funeral Music) begins. The illustrations show Ronan's inner response; he and his dog appear floating through space, transported by the music's many moods. Ronan's "wow!" causes the audience and musicians to laugh and cheer, and the moment feels earned after these dynamic spreads. Boss's use of sound effects ("Zimmity Zimmity Zum") make this a pleasing read-aloud. The book ends on an emotionally satisfying note, with Ronan dreaming about his cosmic musical experience.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sirin Thada. This tribute to the life and artistry of the iconic musician offers readers a chance to delve into Prince's (1958–2016) evolution from music-loving child to determined young adult set on conquering the industry. Born Prince Rogers Nelson and named for his father's jazz band, he was drawn to music from the start: "Music called out to Prince and he wanted to learn how to make it." A lyrical and accessible text illuminates Prince's artistry, highlighting the obstacles he overcame (such as the ridicule he faced for his height and the emotional toll of his parents' divorce) and painting a compelling picture of his resilience -- culminating in the iconic release of the movie and soundtrack for Purple Rain and ending with his 2007 Super Bowl performance. Thada's illustrations enrich the narrative with vibrant, textured images that seem to dance alongside the words. Her use of bold purples, blues, and gold, combined with "colored pencil and aqueous media," brings Prince's electrifying stage presence and his more introspective moments to life. One spread shows Prince mid-leap, diving off the stage into the audience, conveying the energy and intimacy of his live performances. Thada also includes visual nods to Prince's memorable outfits that longtime fans will appreciate.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Raschka. The very definition of music is explored in this thoughtful look at Cage's (1912–1992) controversial musical composition, 4'33", a work that debuted with a pianist "performing" four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence in a barn in Woodstock, New York, in 1952. While there was no piano performance in the traditional sense, the absence of music amplified other sounds, such as whispers, coughs, chairs moving, and the noises of the outside world. Cage believed that "there is always something to hear inside the silence," and the book encourages readers to listen even when it feels like there is nothing to hear. It also emphasizes the art of doing nothing. Twice, the word nothing is scrawled in cursive on a double-page spread featuring just that word, giving readers space to pause and absorb the concept. Raschka's stunning illustrations further these heady concepts: staff lines, disembodied notes, accidentals, and oddly placed clefs visually capture Cage's spirit. Watercolor, pencil, and ink lend themselves well to the task of representing audiences, musicians, and experimental sound art, offering details at times and at other times just suggesting things through outlines and splotches of color. The book deftly pivots in time between Cage's childhood, the Woodstock performance, and his impact on music broadly. Extended back matter on Cage's life and work round out the book. Pair this introduction to the experimental musician with Rogers and Na's Beautiful Noise7 (rev. 11/23).

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara. This lyrical look at the young life of an enigmatic musician follows Prince through his challenging youth and shows how community support helped him channel hard times into music. The rhythm of Joy's (Choosing Brave, rev. 9/22) poetic text matches the rhythm of Prince's early life, feeling sometimes disjointed as he drifts through a tumultuous childhood and suddenly becomes steady as he finds his way to the style that became known as the Minneapolis Sound. Alcantara's (most recently, illustrator of Climb On!, rev. 5/22) washes of watercolor echo the text's progression, starting with more muted blue tones including peeks of Prince's iconic purple, eventually resolving into a glorious celebration of deep purples as his music develops. Joy's telling of Prince's childhood will resonate with young people who use art to find meaning in difficult days. An author's note relates biographical information more directly; back matter also notes Joy's own connection to Prince and his music and includes a family-friendly playlist of his songs.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stadtlander Becca. Streicher and Beethoven met as teenagers when he visited her father, Johann Andreas Stein, "the celebrated piano innovator." Their friendship endured as Streicher would go on to create the unique pianos that showcased Beethoven's talents, instruments that were "as expressive as a human voice and as varied in tone and timbre as an entire orchestra combined." Like arrangers orchestrating a duet, Lawlor and Stadtlander (Fearless World Traveler, rev. 9/21) intertwine the two biographies, first by presenting a segment of one person's life, then the corresponding time period of the other's, and finally the intersection of the two. The chronological pieces, on such topics as childhood, early recognition of their respective talents, and continuing successes and failures, culminate in the initial performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and his "Ode to Joy," and the book concludes with each person's later experiences and their deaths. This pattern allows readers to compare and contrast the two lives, from Beethoven's difficult childhood with a sick mother and abusive father to Streicher's unique upbringing with a father who encouraged her formal education but also passed on the details of piano production (which allowed her, uncharacteristically for the times, to operate her own business). Stadtlander's gouache and pencil illustrations not only capture the era but also use setting to accentuate character traits; those segments featuring Streicher depict calm routines, while Beethoven's volatile performances show bright colors and objects visually exploding from his pianos. Appended with informative notes, a bibliography, and documentation.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Il Sung Na. A sequence of "what if?" questions pulls the reader into this book about twentieth-century avant-garde composer John Cage. "What if...all the sounds you heard...sounded to you like music?" The answer is always, "Then you'd be like John Cage." Cage thought all sounds--noises made by appliances, everyday sounds like "dog tags clinking," and even silence itself--constituted music if you learned to listen. Rogers's text introduces readers to Cage's notable and controversial performances, including "4'33" (four minutes and thirty-three seconds of piano silence) and "Fontana Mix" (a staff covered with "curlicues and dots...and squiggles" that invited musicians to interpret into playable notes). Digital illustrations take one sensory experience (sound) and represent it in another (sight) in stunning ways. Bursts of bright colors, shapes, and lines that represent Cage's music are overlaid onto people, landscapes, and interiors, which are primarily rendered in black, white, and gray; at other times the colorful music peeks through windows or floats in the air, transforming dull backdrops into colorful, riotous expressions that disrupt a stodgy world. Let's not forget the endpapers, which will absorb the reader's attention: a table representing sixty different sounds with sixty different representations captures the essence of each. Readers will likely be curious to experiment themselves and "be like John Cage"; author and illustrator notes provide additional context.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Elissa is a Singer, one of the few whose voice can channel the power of the goddess Caé and make miracles happen for her people. Lucio, seventeen, is her Composer, responsible for guiding her and writing sacred songs. Elissa has songs she wants to write, too, but she fears claiming more than one gift will displease the goddess. When their travels through war-torn Basso lead them to a governor and then a king who want Elissa to work for them, Lucio bends to their pressure (and to the pleasures of court life), even after the governor demands a song that accidentally kills an entire village. Elissa feels that performing miracles for the powerful isn't the will of the goddess--and when the king wants to direct her magic against the enemy, she puts her foot down. Bakewell crafts a spellbinding narrative that weaves the protagonist's guilt over the fate of her parents (convicted of heresy for trying to shield her from the church) with her motivation to write a song that brings peace, despite the impossibility of success. Readers may find their own religious convictions either strengthened or challenged by the portrayal of an absolutely loving goddess who appears in the flesh to make her wishes transparently clear to Elissa; others may gravitate toward Elissa's troubled relationship with the talented Lucio or the depiction of a devoted musical community.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) 4-6 In August 1965, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts is "a volcano aching to erupt." Twelve-year-old Eden Louise Coal, who lives just outside of Watts, is looking forward to the visit of her thirteen-year-old cousin, Winter Robeson, from Sunflower, Mississippi. Though Winter has a long list of things he wants to do, Eden realizes he is really there to find his father, who disappeared from Watts ten years earlier. Winter's visit affords some cultural comparisons, as when Winter notes, "Y'all got a little Jim Crow here too, huh?" after Eden tells him she has only one white neighbor left after white flight claimed all the others. Eden plans to be a songwriter, and the verse novel's text frequently achieves lines Eden herself would relish: "She's like a musician / who has forgotten her notes," Eden says of an elderly friend with dementia. The first-person narrative is unusually dense in thematic layers for such a short novel--neighborhood, family, friends, music, social justice, and dreams--themes that Eden begins to weave into songs by story's end. This is a nuanced story, told from the heart and rooted in Woods's (Zoe in Wonderland, rev. 7/16) own experiences in 1965 Watts, as related in the author's note.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) 4-6 Sixth grader Fig feels obliged to downplay the effects of her father's bipolar disorder so that she and her dad can stay together. Neighbor Mark's help turns into a romantic relationship for Dad; the novel also includes another coming-out story--Fig has a crush on an older girl--but integrates these elements naturally. Details involving art and science lend specificity and keep the plot lines from feeling overly formulaic.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amber Ren. Starting with Beethoven inspiring Schubert; leading to a young brown-skinned girl discovering music; and culminating in that girl becoming a composer and conductor, this is a jubilant celebration of the power of music. The narrative through line keeps pace with ribbons of music that swirl around the detailed digital illustrations featuring a variety of skin colors, hair, and clothing in a diversely peopled orchestra and audience.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) YA Bowman here mines similar material as in her debut Starfish, with its focus on distant mothers and making art in the face of pain. Musician Rumi contends with the sudden death of her sister/songwriting partner, Lea, as well as her mother's abandonment after Rumi is sent away to live with an aunt in Hawaii. Though it's slow to take hold, this story of loss and catharsis is ultimately emotionally satisfying.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: You Should Meet series. Illustrated by Alyssa Petersen. Emerging readers meet Broadway phenomenon Lin-Manuel Miranda in this accessible level-three easy reader. Accompanied by straightforward cartoon illustrations, chapters explore the role of influences such as hip-hop and Latino culture in Miranda's work while also emphasizing the support of his friends and family and his own hard work. Back matter includes facts about Puerto Rico and Broadway and a screenwriting activity.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) YA In Wintersong, Elisabeth (Liesl) miraculously escaped the Goblin King's underground realm alive. Now Liesl travels with her violinist brother to Vienna as his composer. Yet as a painful new distance opens between the siblings, so too does the veil between the Underground and the nineteenth-century world. Fluctuating between mania and melancholy (Liesl, per the author's note, has bipolar disorder), this historical fantasy overflows with beautiful and terrifying emotions.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David C. Gardner. In 1893, a fearful five-year-old Russian-Jewish boy named Israel arrives on Ellis Island. Renamed Irving Berlin, his life story and contributions to American music as a composer are simply and engagingly told. Lighthearted watercolor illustrations underscore the story's action and musicality; a final picture shows Berlin gazing once again at the Statue of Liberty at age 101. An author's note and suggested songs are appended. Reading list.

Reviewer:

(3) 4-6 Alternator Books: Digital Makers series. Part of a high-interest series about digital media, this introduction to song recording encourages anyone interested, regardless of prior skills. The broad explanation describes some challenging recording and sharing techniques, but the oft-mentioned YouTube offers easier access; profiles of real-life stars should encourage aspiring musicians. Cheerful, patterned graphics and bright photographs complement the appealing subject matter. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Rob Polivka. Russian-Jewish composer Irving Berlin immigrated to New York as a child and had a successful songwriting career, including penning the patriotic "God Bless America." This free-verse biography outlines Berlin's life but unfortunately reserves most details for a lengthy author's note. Nuchi cleverly incorporates sounds to express emotions and actions ("a boom-rah-rah song"), while Polivka's detailed illustrations capture early-to-mid-twentieth-century American scenes. Timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Rachel Himes. This smart, lively biography in verse tells the story of Lillian Hardin Armstrong--her talent as a musician and composer, her drive, and her instrumental role in popularizing both the career of husband Louis Armstrong and jazz itself. The black-and-white illustrations' gracefully energetic lines echo and underscore the strength and elegance of the "First Lady of Jazz." Robust back matter complements the concise text. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) YA After the devastating sudden death of her former-rock-star father and an unexpected move to a new city, seventeen-year-old aspiring songwriter Susannah joins a band and discovers she's not the only one with a troubled past. Creatively using weather in the Southern California setting to reflect the characters' emotional states, this debut novel is an affecting, intense story about identity, grief, music, and family.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes