The True Story of a Boy and His Horn
by Muriel Harris Weinstein (Illustrated by Frank Morrison)
ages: 8-10
First sentence: “There isn’t a jazzman in New Orleans who hasn’t tapped my brain about Louis Armstrong.”
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Review copy provided by the publisher.

First off: I’m calling this fiction because it’s written from the perspective of Louis Armstrong’s first trumpet. But the story, based on the diaries that Armstrong kept, is all fact.

You would think that a story written from the point of view of an inanimate object wouldn’t work, but it does. Somehow, the best person to tell Louis’s story is not Louis, or his family, or even the people he encountered, but the thing he loved the best: his horn. Affection for music and for Louis and for New Orleans came through loud and clear, making the book upbeat and cheerful when it could have been depressing.

The story begins with Louis when he’s about six, and just discovering the world of music. He’s poor, yes, but he’s an optimistic soul. It follows his life all while he was growing up, through his first big break, and then tapers off. Weinstein handles excellently the balance of being simple enough for the age group while still being interesting to read.

In short: a lovely introduction to one of the most brilliant jazz musicians. My only complaint was that it didn’t come with a soundtrack.