The Music in George’s Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue

Junior Library Guild Selection
Booklist Editors’ Top 10 Arts Books for Youth
California Reading Association Eureka! Gold Award
CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young Readers
Parents’ Choice Gold Award
Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers
Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration

Meet the famous composer George Gershwin and learn about his remarkabke composition ＂Rhapsody In Blue＂ in this engaging nonficftion picture book biography.

George Gershwin heard music all the time--at home, at school, even on New York City’s busy streets. Classical, ragtime, blues, and jazz--George’s head was filled with a whole lot of razzmatazz! With rhythmic swirls of words and pictures, author Suzanne Slade and illustrator Stacy Innerst beautifully reveal just how brilliantly Gershwin combined various kinds of music to create his masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue, a surprising and whirlwind composition of notes, sounds, and one long wail of a clarinet. Includes author’s note, timeline, and bibliography.

Suzanne Slade is the award-winning author of dozens of children’s nonfiction books, including The Inventor’s Secret, Friends for Freedom, and The House That George Built. She lives in Libertyville, Illinois, with her husband, two children, and adorable dog, Corduroy. suzanneslade.com

Stacy Innerst is an artist and the illustrator of numerous picture books for children, including Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation by Peggy Thomas and M Is for Music by Kathleen Krull, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. stacyinnerst.com