The Horn Book Guide

THE ARTS

Winter, Jonah

How Jelly Roll Morton Invented Jazz

32 pp. | Roaring Brook/Porter | June, 2015 | Trade ISBN 978-1-59643-963-4 $17.99

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Keith Mallett. Facts about Morton's life are sprinkled into a hushed second-person narration: a stint in jail--as a baby!--when his godmother was arrested (he cried until the incarcerated men began singing); a disapproving great-grandmother; and Jelly Roll's own audacious claim that he invented jazz. Textured acrylic-on-canvas illustrations are punctuated by musical notes in rivers of music. An author's note provides background information. Reading list.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015