Description:
Legendary jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman's life is a classic American Cinderella story. Born into a large family (12 kids!) of poor Jewish immigrants, Benny was given his first clarinet in fourth grade. His sweet, supportive father, David, hoped that young Benny and his siblings could make a better life for themselves than their parents had. Quiet Benny liked playing his clarinet more than he liked talking. It wasn't long before he was playing music in nightclubs with grown men, astounding audiences with his hot, beautiful jazz sounds. Benny's father's dream for his son paid off--but sadly, not before David was tragically killed. Benny poured his grief into his music; as a result, the "King of Swing" is still heard around the world in dozens of recordings from the 1930s to the 1980s. Jonah Winter and Jeanette Winter have created a lively tribute to one of America's true musical greats. Jonah Winter writes in short, clean sentences, telling Goodman's story with respect and quiet humor. Jeanette Winter's colorful early-American style illustrations charmingly reflect the era that produced this brilliant musician. The mother-son team has also written a wonderful biography about artist Diego Rivera, called Diego. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter
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