George Gershwin

This is a great representation of George Gershwin's life. A must have for every elementary school library. It has beautiful black and white and color pictures along with cartoons enhancing the story. Hyper-sensitive schools and parents may be shocked at the first photo of the book which has Gershwin sitting at the piano with a cigar in his mouth. If everyone can get past that picture by reminding children that this was before people knew that smoking was bad for your health, then you can enjoy this great biography.

This is one in a wonderful series of books intended to introduce young readers to the lives of famous composers. The story of George Gershwin not only tells about his life, but also gives children a feel for the time he lived in. Venezia uses details about Gershwin as a child to draw youngsters into the story. They can empathize with the young George who is seen as a "nerd" by his peers, because of his love for music. Yet he still enjoyed sports, particularly roller skating. As always, Venezia's illustrations are wonderful and I particularly enjoyed the photographs and artwork that accompanied them. All the parts come together to give children an interesting and enjoyable picture of the man and his music.