Wikipedia

Before John Was a Jazz Giant

Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane is a children’s picture book written by American author and critic Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Sean Qualls. It tells the story of a young John Coltrane growing up in the South in the 1930s. It was published by Henry Holt in 2008.

Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane
Book cover of Before John Was a Jazz Giant, with a painting of a young boy holding a saxophone
AuthorCarole Boston Weatherford
IllustratorSean Qualls
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature
PublisherHenry Holt and Company
Publication date
April 1, 2008
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePicture book (hardcover)
Pages32
ISBN978-0-805-07994-4

Style

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Before John Was a Jazz Giant consists of five poetic stanzas, each beginning with the phrase "Before John was a jazz giant". The stanzas provide "biographical details through metaphors evoking sound", such as "Before John was a jazz giant, / he heard Grandpa’s Sunday sermons, / Mama playing hymns for the senior choir, / and the scoutmaster’s call to join a band".[1]

At the end of the book, Weatherford includes a full-page note that provides additional biographical details.[2]

Reception

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Reviews

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Booklist's Hazel Rochman highlighted "the beat of lyrical words and the rhythm of the beautiful illustrations",[2] while Kirkus Reviews discussed how "Qualls’s mixed-media full-bleed spreads employ a color palette (blue, sienna, ochre, white) and sonic iconography [...]. Circles and bubbles populate each spread, standing in for the emanations of Grandma’s cooking pots, the setting-sun sadness of a family funeral and sweet possibility, as John 'picked up that horn.'"[1] On behalf of School Library Journal, Joyce Adams Burner described the writing as "evocative" in how it "traces Coltrane's influences simply and stunningly, her redolent voice as smooth and vivid as jazz itself".[3]

Awards and honors

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Before John Was a Jazz Giant is a Junior Library Guild book.[4]

The Chicago Public Library named Before John Was a Jazz Giant one of the best Informational Books for Younger Readers of 2009,[5] and Bank Street College of Education included it on their list of the best children's books of the year.[6]

The Association for Library Service to Children named Before John Was a Jazz Giant a 2009 Notable Children's Book,[7] and the National Council for the Social Studies included it on their 2009 list of Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.[8]

Awards for Before John Was a Jazz Giant
Year Award Result Ref.
2009 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor [9][10]
Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text Honor [11][12]
Michigan Great Lakes Great Books Award [13]
2012 GA Picture Storybook Award [14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Before John was a Jazz Giant". Kirkus Reviews. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane". Booklist. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  3. ^ Burner, Joyce Adams (April 2008). Before John Was a Jazz Giant. Henry Holt and Company (BYR). ISBN 978-0-8050-7994-4. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024 – via Chicago Public Library. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane". Junior Library Guild. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Best Books of 2009". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Summary/reviews". Buffalo Eire County Public Library. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  7. ^ "2009 Notable Children's Books". Association for Library Service to Children. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Biography" (PDF). Notable Social Trade Books for Young People: 3. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Coretta Scott King Book Award Recipients". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Neil Gaiman Wins Newbery; Beth Krommes Wins Caldecott". Shelf Awareness. 27 January 2009. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Past Golden Kite Recipients". Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  12. ^ "Awards: Golden Kite Winners; L.A. Times Book Award Nominees". Shelf Awareness. 2009-03-03. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  13. ^ "Michigan Great Lakes' Great Books 2009–2010 (K-1)". pema-bound.com. Perma-Bound School Library. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  14. ^ "2012–13 Georgia Picture Storybook Award nominees". Dekalb County Public Library. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
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