About this Book

Legendary jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman's life is a classic AmericanCinderella story. Born into a large family (12 kids!) of poor Jewish immigrants,Benny was given his first clarinet in fourth grade. His sweet, supportivefather, David, hoped that young Benny and his siblings could make a better lifefor themselves than their parents had. Quiet Benny liked playing his clarinetmore than he liked talking. It wasn't long before he was playing music innightclubs with grown men, astounding audiences with his hot, beautiful jazzsounds. Benny's father's dream for his son paid off--but sadly, not before Davidwas 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 the1930s to the 1980s.Jonah Winter and Jeanette Winter have created a lively tribute to one ofAmerica's true musical greats. Jonah Winter writes in short, clean sentences,telling Goodman's story with respect and quiet humor. Jeanette Winter's colorfulearly-American style illustrations charmingly reflect the era that produced thisbrilliant musician. The mother-son team has also written a wonderful biographyabout artist Diego Rivera, called Diego. (Ages 4 to 7)--Emilie Coulter