The Music in George's Head

★ “One of American music’s masterpieces, ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ is introduced here along with its composer, George Gershwin…. Slade and Innerst… work beautifully together to create a book that builds to a crescendo just as ‘Rhapsody’ does. The swirling text wraps around the inventive (and mostly blue) art, both literally and figuratively, capturing the time period as well as the dazzling musical piece…. This is fitting celebration of a musical milestone—keep a copy of the song cued up for curious listeners.” —Booklist, starred review

★ ”Slade teams up with Innerst for this pleasant picture book biography of composer George Gershwin… Innerst’s acrylic spreads are almost entirely done in blue and gray tones, with broad brushstrokes, scanned textiles, and paper adding texture; each scene is striking. Slade’s narrative is highly readable and lightly peppered with musical onomatopoeia…. A detailed author’s note, time line, and bibliography add further depth to this well-researched work. Readers will get a glimpse into Gershwin’s mind and find the music within. Highly recommended.” —School Library Journal, starred review

★ ”Slade illuminates George Gershwin’s creative process, from inception to premiere of ‘Rhapsody in Blue.’… Innerst’s acrylic-on-paper compositions, in a striking palette of indigo, sepia, and white, whimsically evoke both the period and the composer’s creativity…. Bravo!” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “Through evocative storytelling, expressive hand-lettered text, and dynamic paintings, Slade (The Inventor’s Secret) and Innerst (Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation) explore the making of Gershwin’s acclaimed ‘Rhapsody in Blue’… fittingly, Innerst uses swathes of indigo blue paint in images that seem to sway with the music George heard around him. Even the typography gets in on the action, changing colors, switching to cursive, or blaring words in capital letters to reflect the musical influences Gershwin drew on. An afterword and timeline round out a rousing look at one of the defining contributions to the Great American Songbook.”  —Publishers Weekly, starred review