If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong

I am a music teacher in an elementary school where there are many cultures represented. I wanted to add to my collection of stories for children, using February and Black History Month as the backdrop and music as the subject matter. One of the books that met this need was "If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong". The book sheds light on the hardships Louis had as a child and his love of music. It is candid in telling why he was sent to a boy's home (without getting too serious) and how he had to learn patience to earn his horn. The pictures are expressive and my students thoroughly enjoyed the story. I added some recordings to complete the lesson, especially "Dippermouth Blues" which gets it's name from a nickname of his as a child; and that is mentioned in the book. I used this for grades 3-5 and my students enjoyed it, learned about Louis as a boy and how he overcame many troubles for the love of his music. It is a welcome addition to my children's collection.

This book is a bit long for younger children, but works well for 3-4th graders. If you paraphrase the wording, it might work better to keep the kids' attention. I teach music classes and found this helped the students. There is a part of book that says Louis fired his Uncle's gun off in the street for New Years, so we had to discuss why it was dangerous to do that. Luckily, the book also describes Louis' getting caught by the police in the act. This is a touching story which I hope is true. I'm not sure whether it is or not, but the end is very moving and my students were engaged by it.

One of the best picture book biographies I've seen, the rich text and earthy pictures evoke the soul of the jazz artist, pictured here as a boy. A lovely introduction to a jazz master for very young readers from six years and older.