King of Ragtime: The Story of Scott Joplin. Stephen Costanza. 2021 [September]. 56 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: In the valley of the Red River,
where the soil was as rich
as most folks were poor,
four states sat side by side
like colors on a quilt
sewn from cotton picked
by black hands, brown hands,
tired and worn--but oh!
How they clapped at night,
as voices lifted to the stars.
Premise/plot: King of Ragtime is a picture book biography of Scott Joplin. This picture book is written in verse. It tells the story of how music shaped him and he shaped music.
My thoughts: I thought this was beautifully done. I thought the verse complimented the illustrations perfectly. I appreciated both so much. While I was familiar with a handful of Joplin's compositions--I do like ragtime music--I was not familiar with his life story. Or not as familiar I suppose.
If you do share this one with young readers--in your own home, in a library setting, in a school setting, DO make a point of sharing his music as well. I would love to see kids reactions to his music!
© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers
No comments:
Post a Comment