(3) K-3 Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. Rosenstock taps the Southern vernacular to tell the story of bluegrass pioneer Monroe (1911–96), who lived a hardscrabble life in Kentucky before making his mark on the world. Fotheringham's art can be marvelously inventive, as when the curved neck of an outsize banjo in the grass illustrates, "He looked for an instrument to rush the music along like a mountain stream." An appendix includes photos. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram