Author: Gary GolioIllustrator: Javaka Steptoe
Peach’s Picks Rating:
Year of publication: 2010
City of publication: Boston
Publisher: Clarion Books
ISBN: 978-0-618-85279-6
Author website: http://www.garygolio.com/
Illustrator website: http://www.javaka.com/
Media used for illustrations: Mixed media including reclaimed plywood, pastel cutouts, and photo-collage, extensive description found in illustrator’s endnote
Annotation: Picturebook of Jimi Hendrix, born James Marshall Hendrix, who grew up in Seattle, Washington listening to a rainbow of sounds that inspired him to become a great rock musician.
Personal reaction to the book: This picturebook is a first-rate treatment of Jimi Hendrix’s early life leading to his success as a musician. It is especially useful to educators who are looking for information which handles Hendrix’s life in a manner that younger students can access. Jimi Hendrix was born James (Jimmy) Marshall Hendrix. He grew up in poverty in Seattle, Washington. Hendrix’s manager changed his first name from “Jimmy” to “Jimi” in 1966. The reader experiences the joy young Jimmy feels interacting with his friends, hearing the sounds of the city, listening to a variety of music, and receiving his first guitar. This is not a straight biography; rather the reader receives an impression of Jimmy’s childhood mixed with facts. The grittier parts of his life are sensitively explained, but not dwelled upon in the author’s endnotes. The three-dimensional looking mixed media artwork has a tendency to feel heavy and cluttered, but nonetheless, it still manages to complement the text and add emotion to Jimmy’s story. The colorful illustrations are two-page spreads entirely covering the pages. Jimmy is depicted as happy child wearing a striped shirt and jeans. The texture of the artwork invites the reader to run their hands over the pages. The text and illustrations flow well together, each extending the concepts found in the other. Endnotes include bibliographical references, discography, and filmography. The endnotes also offer substance abuse prevention and mental health services websites. The illustrator’s endnotes discuss his creative process. The book is paginated for easy reference. This book will be better enjoyed alone or by a small group. It is difficult to read aloud to a group because the text is hard to see. The illustrations need to be viewed closely because when viewed from a distance they seem cluttered.
General curricular connections:
- Biographies
- African-American biographies
- Rock musicians
- Jimi Hendrix
- Art / discussing use of mixed media
Recommended grade levels:
School Library Journal recommends this book for use with grades 4-8
Booklist recommends this book for use with grades 3-5
Peach’s Picks recommends this book for use with grades 4-8
Awards/Recognitions:
Kirkus Review starred review
Library Media Connection starred review
School Library Journal starred review
Coretta Scott King Book Award, Illustrator Honor Book, 2011
2011 Notable Children’s Books in the English Language Arts
Note: This book applies to the assignment criteria - books published in 2010-2011
Simile: The title, “Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow”
Simile: Page 7; “A truck engine backfired, pounding like a bass drum…”
Personification: Page 7; “…as a neighbor’s rake played snare against the sidewalk.”
Repetition: Vinyl records float throughout the book
Repetition: Jimmy is shown playing an instrument on nearly every page: ukulele, guitar, air saxophone
Rhythm: A rhythmic poem is part of the text, printed in a flowing manner. It can be separated from the text and read rhythmically:
“Until he could play the sound of raindrops, singing as they fell. (Page 5)
The sounds of life were calling out, and Jimmy Hendrix wanted to answer them. (Page 7)
With every sound, a color glowed in Jimmy’s mind. (Page 11)
Blue was the whoosh of cool water, splashing over rocks. (Page 11)
Orange and red, the crackling of a campfire. (Page 11)
Green, the rustle of a thousand leaves. (Page 11)
He wondered: Could a person use music like chalks and colored pencils? (Page 13)
Could someone paint pictures with sound? (Page 13)
He strummed on the bristles, sliding his fingers back and forth along the wooden handle. (Page 15)
The blues they is a lonely sound, Like the whistle of a train. Full of tender feelings, And pourin’ down like rain…(Page 16)
He practiced and practiced, training his ears and hands. And each day he got a little better. (Page 18)
With the flick of a switch, Jimmy’s life was electrified! (P. 21)
Suddenly, the room filled with a rocket’s roar. Crashing waves. The buzz of swarming bees. Jimmy was finally painting with sound! (Page 23)
His playing became bold as lightning. Wild as the waves. Free as the wind through the tress. (Page 25)”
Book cover picture retrieved from http://www.javaka.com/
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