Library Intern Book Reviews
Review of Django: World’s Greatest Jazz Guitarist by Bonnie Christensen
Publisher
Roaring Brook Press
City
New York, New York, United States of America
Date of Publication
2009
ISBN
9781596434226
Date of Review
2012
Disciplines
Library and Information Science | Modern Literature
Keywords
Children's literature, reviews
Recommended Citation
Start, Kaitlin, "Review of Django: World’s Greatest Jazz Guitarist by Bonnie Christensen" (2012). Library Intern Book Reviews. 21.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/21
Review
Music, culture, history, and story all combine in this story to create a unique learning experience for children of all ages. This poetic biography of Jean, or Django, Reinhardt provides historical background for one of the world’s greatest musicians, while holding the reader’s attention through story and illustrations. The story, written in poetry form, does not give a wealth of historical details, but enough to inform readers of the basic stages of this musician’s life. Django goes from gypsy boy abandoned by his father, to a rising musician who was injured in a fire, through a trying recovery period, and finally back into the music world. One of the ways that emotion is brought into the story is through the illustrations. Color is used very carefully to help depict the mood of the particular part of the story. Jovial, exciting periods in Django’s life are filled with rich, vibrant, warm colors. The periods of recovery from his injury in the hospital, though, are mostly grey and lifeless. Although written in fairly simple language, the historical details make this story interesting and useful for children through middle school. The resources pages at the back also give teachers extra information about the end of Django’s life, specific terms used in the book, and other resources that could be used to study this musician’s life. This book would be a fantastic addition to any study of jazz history, World War I and II, or Jean Reinhardt’s life. Recommended. Kaitlin Start, Centennial Library Intern.