“Despite impoverished beginnings, music and a prevailing joie de vivre carried young Louis Armstrong from the streets of New Orleans to the stages of New York City, Hollywood, and Europe. . . . Ransome’s fluid watercolors bring to life both the New Orleans neighborhood Armstrong called home and his musical passion—he’s holding or playing his horn in nearly every scene. A detailed author’s note dives deeper into the performer’s life, rounding out a solid introduction to Satchmo.”—Publishers Weekly
“Cline-Ransome traces Armstrong’s storied arc, from an impoverished New Orleans childhood to his apex as a giant of jazz. . . . Ransome’s vivid, saturated paintings depict cityscapes and riverboats, framing Armstrong in windows and rectangular insets, and capturing the music’s joy in paradegoers’ faces”—Kirkus Reviews
