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(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Higgins Bond.
On their Tennessee farm, Lorraine and Pa Paw make beautiful music together--he on his harmonica, and she on her pennywhistle. However, when things begin disappearing on the farm and a fierce storm arises, Lorraine and Pa Paw have to depend on their voices to make music and chase away fear. Written in rhyming verse and realistically illustrated with setting-evoking detail, the folkloric story is one of nostalgia and finding joy.
166 pp.
| HarperCollins/Amistad
| May, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-221591-8$16.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-06-221594-9
(1)
4-6
Illustrated by
Frank Morrison.
When his grandfather, Cool Papa, dies suddenly, Clayton Bryd decides to run away and join Cool Papa's band--but he has to take the subway to find the remaining members. He spends a good portion of the book in the underworld of the NYC subway system, meeting interesting characters and performing. An appealing, realistic story with frequent elegant turns of phrase. An author's note outlines the history of the blues.
Reviewer: Dean Schneider
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2017
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Dinara Mirtalipova.
A boy is mesmerized by a story about three princesses trapped under a witch's spell until they save a life through a special harmonica. This story within a story is prelude to three more. Ryan's storytelling prowess and vivid voice lead readers through a hefty tome illuminated by layers of history, adventure, and the seemingly magical but ultimately very human spirit of music.
Reviewer: Nina Lindsay
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2015
247 pp.
| Scholastic
| May, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-545-33479-2$16.99
(3)
4-6
Araminta (nicknamed "Minty," a.k.a. "Minty Fresh," her future roller-derby name) meets Raymond, a mysterious boy, in the woods. They team up to investigate the strange behaviors of other neighborhood kids (including Minty's best friend Paz, who's acting too grown-up for roller derby). Meanwhile, Raymond has his own secrets. All ends well in Standiford's perceptive story of changing friendships.
44 pp.
| Harcourt/Gulliver
| April, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-15-216701-3$$15.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Christine Davenier.
Iris borrows best friend Walter's precious harmonica (it was his grandma's), but when she looks for it the next day, it's gone. All ends happily when the harmonica is recovered and Walter is able to perform for his grandma. This sixth Iris and Walter story is well suited to new readers in both format and subject. Davenier's loose, curving watercolor and ink illustrations palpably convey Iris's distraught feelings.
32 pp.
| Charlesbridge
| February, 2004
|
TradeISBN 1-57091-547-4$$15.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ron Mazellan.
Based on true events, this is a dramatic if sentimental story about the Holocaust. When he is asked to play his harmonica by the commandant of the concentration camp where he is imprisoned, a boy's love of music proves both life-saving and life-affirming. The dark, rather romantic, illustrations match the tone of Johnston's sometimes self-conscious prose.
32 pp.
| Holiday
| March, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1353-5$$16.95
(4)
1-3
Illustrated by
Colin Bootman.
One summer, Derrick's elderly uncle gives him harmonica lessons. When "old Arthur" (arthritis) prevents Uncle Booker T. from giving a lesson one day, a now-accomplished Derrick soothes him with his own playing. The text occasionally verges on sentimentality, but the author also exercises restraint, as when intimating the old man's mortality. The illustrations affectionately depict summertime and community in the South.