(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stacy Innerst. Slade traces Gershwin's early talents and rise to fame as a "daring" composer who wove together myriad musical forms with city sounds, building toward the triumphant composition and first performance of "a musical kaleidoscope of America's melting pot--Rhapsody in Blue." Swirly acrylic paintings and hand-lettering in a palette of almost all blues perfectly visualize the "razzmatazz dazzling" music. Author's note included. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 People to Know Today series. Opening with a highlight or turning point in the subjects' lives (rough-and-tumble George's first experience being moved by music, "The Donald"'s first season of The Apprentice), these biographies then go back to provide information about childhood, early accomplishments, and successes in later life. Sidebars and stock photographs enhance these adequate but unexciting introductions to well-known personalities. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these People to Know Today titles: George Gershwin and Donald Trump.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) K-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. This account of the inspiration behind George Gershwin's famous concerto features imagined conversations with his musician pals and his brother Ira, some more finely tuned than others. Kitchel's watercolor and ink illustrations, which occasionally feature art deco borders, effectively display the Rhapsody's enthusiastic reception in New York's Aeolian Hall in 1924. A CD is included.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) YA Masters of Music series. This serviceable account of Gershwin's thirty-eight years includes his childhood but emphasizes his innovative contributions to U.S. music, particularly the marriage of classical forms with jazz harmonies and rhythms that resulted in such works as Rhapsody in Blue. Poorly reproduced black-and-white photos illustrate the sometimes clunky text; good primary sources are documented. A list of major works is appended. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian